opening a book

upon receiving a faithful existence by forrest gander
i find this passage on the subject of translation by brodsky:

civilization is the sum total of different cultures animated
by a common spiritual numerator, and its main vehicle
- speaking both metaphorically and literally -
is translation.

i think of this fragment of investigative
metaphysics on this day - inauguration day -
as a stretch upon my own thinking of 'post'
or 'pan' or 'trans' nationalism of our early
21st century

i want it to be a new world

even some hope?

[1/20/09 - written in the moleskin after listening to snatches of obama's speech]