Unprecedented
A choreographed
Freewheeling wager.
Flattery,
Cajolery,
And a slickly produced video.
A bulletproof confrontation.
Diplomatic language,
Recycled statements,
Verifiable missiles.
Sleep well tonight!
A showdown with diplomacy:
Three hours of meetings
Plus a lunch of prawns and crispy pork.
Provocative vague details,
A thumping soundtrack
Of benevolent peacemakers:
An inspirational view.
Aides fidgeted.
Reality TV?
Science fiction?
A buddy movie.
At ease with each other,
They walked on a balcony,
Smiled occasionally,
Heaped praise.
Human-rights abuses?
Hardly a priority.
It is a rough situation over there.
It’s rough in a lot of places.
Poem found in “The Trump-Kim Summit Was Unprecedented, but the Statement Was Vague,” The New York Times, June 12, 2018