King Solomon and his queen prepared a vessel,
unmanned but richly furnished, and cast it to sea.
There it sailed over centuries holding within
the mystic sword of his father, King David.
Solomon had seen a vision that one of their progeny
would rise to grasp the Holy Grail, and the knight
needed the rainbow blade to arm his quest.
The picture darkened when a noble boarded the ship,
grabbed the sword and killed another, then died.
The unholy stroke blighted both of their nations.
The sacred cuts both ways. The miscreant
bent on murder had invited death to come.
The silken vessel and jeweled sword passed.
They would attend only to one whose reach,
like theirs, was singular as the sea.
Copyright © 2026 by Sam S. Dodd