The Fool - IX

This is a poem spread across multiple pages. Please read in order. Please click on links below to read the earlier passages from the poem.

The Fool - I.
The Fool - II.
The Fool - III.
The Fool - IV.
The Fool - V.
The Fool - VI.
The Fool - VII.
The Fool - VIII.

For reasons are a fiction, only feelings are real,
His step may be mundane, but the motives are surreal,
One has to get into his skin if one wants to answer why
He is taking that first step, is prepared to die
For a cause that is not defined, apart from an elusive grail
For a journey that is not his, he has just heard in a tale
About the quest and how it is his duty to the king
To get involved in the quest and to him the grail bring.
About the war that is ongoing and the fight for the prize
About a world beyond his home- that is big in size
And for whose people he solemnly pledges his life
So what does he really feel- the speculations are rife
Is it just gay abandon, a feeling of adventure- an adrenalin rush
Or is it an excitement of the unknown- the attraction of a novel crush.

Is it a feeling of compulsion, one driven by a sense of duty
Or is it the sense of commitment, towards truth, towards beauty
Or is it a feeling of ennui- a desire to rock the boat
Or is it an itch to travel and explore – to continuously hit the road
Is it an existential angst – a need to create meaning where there’s none,
Or is it just to express oneself fully – being what one can become
Or is it a disgust with the world as it is, about those who are running the quest
Or is it a rage that is burning within – about a precious life that one may waste
Is it a contempt towards others- the insignificance of the common lot
Or is it a greed of coveting the best- the grail, the prize, the golden pot
Or is it an anguish in one’s past – that one intends to forget and put behind
Or is it a lone fond memory- and that glorious past one wants to rewind
Is it just naivety and foolishness, the lightheartedness of the clown
Or is it a determined bravery, as one puts ones foot down.

Be it the first step, that can take his life
Or the journey ahead, that is filled with strife
Both require extreme courage and an inability to think
Just to feel the need of hour and jump in a wink
Into a valley that is deep- into a journey without an end
In situations like this only the Fool is god send
The wise men may forever reflect on the right step to take
And even after coming to conclusion, the courage lack
Only a fool that is naïve and bold in equal degree
Can listen and act on the hour’s decree
And respond to a call that is heeded by none
That is dangerous, foolish and scorned by some
To end the fight for grail is the Fools Fate
Not a moment can be wasted, better Late than late.


What he is thinking of now, is not his chances of win,
Of his strategy, his tactics as he gets involved in this war grim
Of the glory or derision that await at the end of this night
Of the grail, or the king, or the crowning as a Knight
He is not thinking of victory, he is not thinking of defeat
He is just thinking of the example that would be set by his feat
If he survives the fall, more will take that first step
If he covers a half mile, more will join the quest
Alone he may not be able to reach the grail,
But with millions following suit, on can never fail
Someone else might get the grail, but we will be done with it
No more fighting over trifles, no more war – we’ll move beyond it
So as he takes that first step, its not with joy or despair,
Its with courage, humility and a heart in prayer.


Praying for surviving – not for winning the quest
Surviving from the fall, surviving from the rest
Of the arduous journey that is bound to wear him down
Change him in ways unforeseen, change more than his town
Make him a different man- whether better is for the future to say
But he prays for his soul- for his integrity if you may
That it comes unscathed even after the fall
To jump and to remain same is an order tall
He’ll surely change in subtle ways,
If not a broken arm, then bruises and sprains,
Even after some parts of him are left behind
He prays for courage to continue the grind
And keep on moving towards the grail
Only by going the last mile- he will not fail

For a million mutinies will flower then
All joining the quest with kith and ken
And with determined and courageous steps
Cover the journey of a million stops
Each passing the baton to the other down the line
What one couldn’t achieve- can now be achieved fine
If one were to be given proof, that the grail is not a myth
The quest not a tale, but the actual journey which
Many have tried and some have reached thus far
Others would join and put an end to the war
Its the grail that is never-ending, it could satisfy all thrust,
And for years we thought that what was never ending was the quest
We though the fighting inevitable, the grail beyond reach
But if someone could prove otherwise, it could teach

A lesson to us, that it’s Peace and Love we really desire
If courage and purity are there, even a fool can inspire
And though he may not get the grail, he would have shown the way
He may have died on that first step, but he showed the sway
Over where the winds were blowing and we could then all fly
Like the fool we might not be triumphant- but we could at least try
And when millions try to fly by jumping from the cliff,
Even the winds will have to change least the gods become stiff
And when we ride the winds then we’ll have mastered the fall
Each on his quest – but not alone- not isolated – not feeling small
But embedded in the world with bonds of love and care,
How can winds try to kill – how will they dare
To break our wills when we stand by the others side
We can then jump from cliffs, or stand firm in the tides.

But alas that revolution is still to come
Till all join the quest it’s left to some
To give their all to the fight that’s being fought
And end the fight once and all – that is what they sought
Each of the knights on this holy Quest
Is fuelled by a desire to do his best
And reach the grail soon, to put an end to war
And share with the king, share the power
And then share with the common man-
The grail has enough – no exclusions no ban
Let everyone drink from it, Let everyone rejoice
The fighting has to end- we have no choice
So join the knights you Fool and get involved
It’s not for war, but for peace we have evolved