Almanac Poetry: The Quest of the Holy Grail – in a Nutshell
Sir Galahad, the Quest for the Holy Grail, by Arthur Hughes, oil on canvas on panel, 1870. (Source: Wikimedia Commons.)
The Quest of the Holy Grail – in a Nutshell
The country has fallen into wickedness.
Arthur, its King,
sends a group of knights
on a quest to obtain a wonderful thing,
a Holy Grail that will rid the place
of its grave afflictions
– crops will once again flourish,
people will resume being good,
et cetera, et cetera.
By way of their flaws,
most knights fail.
Except for a few;
one, Galahad,
a Christ-like figure,
too good to be true;
another, Lancelot, flawed carnally
– in that respect, at least,
a credible human being.
After years of battles, prophesying monks
and much multi-level symbolism,
the successful questers obtain a vision
of the wonderful Grail.
But God doesn’t let them have it:
the country is too sinful to be saved
and it’s taken to another land.
Colossal letdown.
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About
Kevin Densley is a graduate of both Deakin University and The University of Melbourne. He has taught writing and literature in numerous Victorian universities and TAFES. He is a poet and writer-in-general. His fifth book-length poetry collection, Please Feed the Macaws ... I'm Feeling Too Indolent, was published in late 2023 by Ginninderra Press. He is also the co-author of ten play collections for young people, as well as a multi Green Room Award nominated play, Last Chance Gas, published by Currency Press. Other writing includes screenplays for educational films.
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