It is tolerable
that the calloused hands of the beggar
trace the fluted columns of democracy.
It is tolerable
that his muddied feet
trod the bleached and scoured corridors.
It is tolerable
that his eyes refract the echoing light,
that his ears discern the marble timbre,
that his lungs reap the perfumed air.
It is tolerable
that his soul be refined by the fluent architecture.
It is mere circumstance
that separates the beggar from the senator.
Circumstance includes, of course, the legal authority – nay, responsibility! –
to compensate oneself for the time spent deciding that one deserves
a salary increase this year.