......~-:%                                          %:-~......
.....~-:%$                                          $%:-~.....
....~-:%$¶                                          ¶$%:-~....
...~-:%$¶#                                          #¶$%:-~...
..~-:%$¶##                                          ##¶$%:-~..
.~-:%$¶###                    ::                    ###¶$%:-~.
..~-:%$¶##                   :  :                   ##¶$%:-~..
...~-:%$¶# -----------------:    :----------------- #¶$%:-~...
....~-:%$¶                   :  :                   ¶$%:-~....
.....~-:%$                    ::                    $%:-~.....
......~-:%                                          %:-~......
.......~-:  in a black rubbery sleep i dream about  :-~.......
........~-         cold boiling asphalt and         -~........
.........~       crimson emergency flares...        ~.........
..........                                          ..........
..........                    ::                    ..........
.......... ------------------:  :------------------ ..........
..........                    ::                    ..........
..........                                          ..........
..........    they were tearing down statues, and   ..........
..........  bellowing their manifest, in the rain,  ..........
.........~               in the dark,               ~.........
........~-                                          -~........
.......~-:     and something followed me out, a     :-~.......
......~-:%  yearning. a memory of being touched by  %:-~......
.....~-:%$     a ray from a raspberry sun. still    $%:-~.....
....~-:%$¶  there, everything would be gritty and   ¶$%:-~....
...~-:%$¶#   full of tar. rain upon it. but then a  #¶$%:-~...
..~-:%$¶##  few bright and colorful anomalies. and  ##¶$%:-~..
.~-:%$¶###            a promise for more.           ###¶$%:-~.
..~-:%$¶##                                          ##¶$%:-~..
...~-:%$¶#  like waking up with a business card in  #¶$%:-~...
....~-:%$¶              your pocket...              ¶$%:-~....
.....~-:%$                                          $%:-~.....
......~-:%  a feather boa wrapped around a velvet   %:-~......
.......~-: lizard, surfacing for milliseconds at a  :-~.......
........~-    time, calling, tugging at my arms.    -~........
.........~    begging me to sink back down and be   ~.........
.......... with them, with their kind. easy to get  ..........
..........  washed away from the tether, from the   ..........
..........               way back up.               ..........
..........                                          ..........
..........                                          ..........
..........  but i cannot go. the consequences would ..........
..........   be too large. especially since i'm in  ..........
.........~   the work mill and they've got their    ~.........
........~-   eyes on me already. the feeling will   -~........
.......~-:  wane, and i will miss it, and cease to  :-~.......
......~-:%       understand. like every day.        %:-~......
.....~-:%$                                          $%:-~.....
....~-:%$¶                    ::                    ¶$%:-~....
...~-:%$¶#                   :  :                   #¶$%:-~...
..~-:%$¶## -----------------:    :----------------- ##¶$%:-~..
.~-:%$¶###                   :  :                   ###¶$%:-~.
..~-:%$¶##                    ::                    ##¶$%:-~..
...~-:%$¶#                                          #¶$%:-~...
....~-:%$¶                                          ¶$%:-~....
.....~-:%$                                          $%:-~.....
......~-:%                                          %:-~......
.......~-:                                          :-~.......
........~-                                          -~........