Caveat

At the shrine
tourists stand
in patient files, inching
through catacombs to view
the effigies, the holy relics.
Above one narrow gallery
a secular intrusion glistens:

BEWARE OF PICKPOCKETS.

The faithful see their sign,
pat their wallets,
press on reassured.
But in the passageway, observant
of the self-searching pilgrims,
stands the dip, smiling,
the paint still wet on his fingers.