[Newspoetry] newsdream

[Joe Futrelle]

I was the only audience member at the Arab-Israeli peace summit.  If
it was at Camp David, I couldn't tell, since we spent all our time in
a huge featureless room with a single table in the center.  Barak was
not there; in his place was a very pretty thirtysomething woman who
didn't even seem to be Israeli.  She had an aide who said nothing.
Clinton was very diplomatically ingratiating to her, offering Israel
"any help it might need."  This seemed to please her and her aide.
Arafat just nodded in silent approval.  There didn't appear to be any
contentious issues, which surprised me.  But even though I was close
enough to the participants to touch them, I kept my mouth shut.

The next day there was much pomp and circumstance, and I ended with
many of my friends up in the very back row of an enormous balcony
overlooking the lavishly-appointed room in which the proceedings were
taking place.  The audience was huge, and from the balcony the
participants were inaudible.  I dimly wondered what had become of my
special status as the only audience member ...

--
Joe Futrelle
Editor-within-chief,
Newspoetry dot com