Plenary Indulgence

And I, too, midway upon my journey
am struck to see so many soles undone,
unlaced, uninhabited, travelers
purged of all unnecessary trappings
prepared to meet the great all-seeing eye,
waiting serpentine, impatient; dreading
the searching hands of a glaring Virgil.

Homebound yet helpless, I suffer my fate
in practiced resignation till—Behold!
A shining Beatrice guides my feet, shod,
unbelieving, through the gate of peace.
Free!
I climb, stunned, into an undeserved
empyrean, praising God for life, health,
and the mercy of TSA pre-check.