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.
