,,==*&&@@# #@@&&*==,,
,,,,,,==&@ @&==,,,,,,
,,==*&&@@# #@@&&*==,,
,,,,,,=*&& &&*=,,,,,,
,,==*&&@## ##@&&*==,,
,,==*&@### Winds esker ###@&*==,,
,,==*&&@## ======================================== ##@&&*==,,
,,,,==**&@ @&**==,,,,
,==*&&@### There Was This Place That For Two Years ###@&&*==,
,,==*&&@## I Couldn'T Go To. Regardless How Much ##@&&*==,,
,,,,,,,=&& Discussed With Others, Or Pointed Out &&=,,,,,,,
,,,,,=&&&& On Maps, I Could Not Think Of It When &&&&=,,,,,
,,,,==*&@# Alone. I Would Often Travel Past The #@&*==,,,,
,,,,,,==&@ Fork, Where A Right Turn Would Surely @&==,,,,,,
,,,,===*&& Take Me There, But Even Then, Something &&*===,,,,
,,===**&&& Kept Me Away. &&&**===,,
,,,,,,,=&@ @&=,,,,,,,
,,==*&&@## When I Finally Got There, After Some ##@&&*==,,
,,,,,,==&@ Heavy Subconscious Battle I Must @&==,,,,,,
,,==*&## Assume, The Place Was Surreal. An ###&&*==,,
,,==*&## Esker, Like A Needle-Thin Rift Out In ###&&*==,,
,,==*&@### The Lake, But Ten Meters High And ###@&*==,,
,,==*&@### Adorned In Birch, Willow, Bracken, And ###@&*==,,
,,,,,==&@# Blueberries. #@&==,,,,,
,==*&&@### ###@&&*==,
,,,,=**&&& Walking Atop That Spine, I Came To &&&**=,,,,
,,==*&## Notice The View To Either Side. There ###&&*==,,
,,==*&&@@# Should Be Shores, Of Course, But I #@@&&*==,,
,,==*&## Didn'T Recognize Them. First Off, They ###&&*==,,
,,==*&&&&& Were Much Too Close, As The Lake Should &&&&&*==,,
,,,,,===*& Stretch For A Hundred Meters More On &*===,,,,,
,,,,=*** Both Sides. But Now I Felt I Could #&***=,,,,
,,,,,=*& Almost Reach Out And Touch Them. And #&&*=,,,,,
,,==*&&@## Then, When I Realized Which Shores They ##@&&*==,,
,,==*&&@## Were, I Had To Stop. ##@&&*==,,
,,==**&&@# #@&&**==,,
,,,,,,,=*& They Were Of The Right Lake. But This &*=,,,,,,,
,,,,===&@@ Lake Is Large, Fractured, And @@&===,,,,
,,==*&## Bipartite. Like A Pair Of Lungs Carved ###&&*==,,
,,==*&## Into The Granite, And With No Less Than ###&&*==,,
,,==*&## Five Communities Anchored At Various ###&&*==,,
,,,,==*&@@ Points. And So, Studying These @@&*==,,,,
,,,====&@# Impossibly Close Shores, I Slowly #@&====,,,
,,==*&@### Understood Them As Belonging Many Miles ###@&*==,,
,,==*&&@## Away. ##@&&*==,,
,,==*&&@@# #@@&&*==,,
,,,====**& I Examined The Ridge, The Treeline &**====,,,
,,==*&&@## Above. Was This What You Saw Opposite, ##@&&*==,,
,,==*&&@@@ From Those Other Shores? I Couldn'T @@@&&*==,,
,,,,==*&@@ Remember. @@&*==,,,,
,,==*&&@## ##@&&*==,,
,,==*&&@## Carrying Forward, On The Very Tip Of ##@&&*==,,
,,==*&&@@@ The Esker, I Found The Ruins Of Some @@@&&*==,,
,,,,,,==&@ Old Building. There Were Overgrown @&==,,,,,,
,,==*&&@@# Marble Staircases, Stone Floors Beneath #@@&&*==,,
,,==*&@### The Moss, And Strange Slabs Inserted ###@&*==,,
,,=*&&@### Into The Slope Like Dams Against The ###@&&*=,,
,,==&&@### Ground Itself. ###@&&==,,
,,==*&&@## ##@&&*==,,
,,=*&&@### Sitting There, I Could See Across The ###@&&*=,,
,,==*&&&@@ Narrowed Lake My Entire Path To Where I @@&&&*==,,
,,==*&&@## Sat: From The Stairwell Of My House, ##@&&*==,,
,,,,,=*& Through The Old Woods Behind The Tile #&&*=,,,,,
,,,=====*& Factory, The Bridge Over Route &*=====,,,
,,,,,,=**& Twenty three And Then Back Under It, &**=,,,,,,
,,,,=**&&@ Through The Fancy Villas, Over The @&&**=,,,,
,,==*&@### Fields, And Then That Right Turn At The ###@&*==,,
,,==*&&@## Fork. ##@&&*==,,
,,==****&@ @&****==,,
,,==*&&@## And Then The Stairs Up On The Ridge. ##@&&*==,,
,,,===**&@ Thinking Back, This Was Probably It. @&**===,,,
,,,==*&&@@ Hidden In A Grove, There Were Stairs @@&&*==,,,
,,==*&&&@# Much Like The Ones I Currently Sat On, #@&&&*==,,
,,==**&&@# Old And Worn Down, That Lead You Up #@&&**==,,
,,==*&&&&@ Onto The Esker. The Point Of Entry. Had @&&&&*==,,
,,,,,,=* I Insted Opted To Walk The Path At Its #&*=,,,,,,
,,,,,,,=*& Foot, I'M Sure My Experience Would'Ve &*=,,,,,,,
,,=====*&& Been Different Indeed. &&*=====,,
,,,,,,==&& &&==,,,,,,
,,,,=**&&@ ======================================== @&&**=,,,,
,,,,=*&&&@ @&&&*=,,,,
,,==*&&@## On The Lake, There Were People In ##@&&*==,,
,,==*&&@## Boats. I Wondered, Could They Even See ##@&&*==,,
,,,====**& Me? If I Shouted, Would They Turn To &**====,,,
,,==*&&@## Stare Right Through Me? ##@&&*==,,
,,,===*&@# #@&*===,,,
,,==*&&&&& &&&&&*==,,
,,==*&&@@# #@@&&*==,,
,,,,,,,=*& &*=,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,=&@ @&=,,,,,,,