George W. Bush
presents a collection of portraits:
heads of state
met in person.
The sharp eye
of the former president
captures revealing views
of these individuals:
Two dimensional,
no deeper than oil on canvas.
Remind them of the latest scandal,
or throw the truth in their face,
and they look through you –
unmoving,
unblinking.
Oh, there’s a self-portrait too.
(Editor’s note: poet Shai Ben-Shalom, an Israeli-born biologist, examines current events in the Blacklock’s tradition each and every Sunday) 
