poempost: a quarter dilemma (fragment)

i am done with vision;
time to stand by this pond
and let a branch reach
out of the water and point:

across many waves,
at many leaves.

transposing rhetoric

last night,

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

became

"And to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright-- tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from our the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope."

and

"And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people will get to the promised land."

became

"The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America - I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you - we as a people will get there."