by Bonnie Naradzay
Mr. Bush, bedecked in the conical hat
of a paddy farmer and Asian sky-blue
garb, looked comical and worry-free
at the Heads of Countries photo-op.
Standing next to Putin, in matching hues,
he ribbed the man once head of the KGB
who'd just decreed the death by poison
for a London-based critic of his ruthless style.
Speaking in Ho Chi Minh City, Bush praised
the country for triumphing over certain
obstacles to be our steady trading partner.
"Democracy may take a while but wins out
in the end," he gushed. And Agent Orange
still disfigures the little children born here.
Bonnie Naradzay is a degree candidate at the Stonecoast MFA Program, having earned her M.A. over 35 years ago. She has a poem accepted for publication in JAMA and has published in many online journals, including Salt River Review, Beltway Quarterly, Innisfree, Potomac Journal, and Convergence.