~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~
^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                    //                    ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                   /  /                   ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~/    /~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                   /  /                   ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                    //                    ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^
~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~
/~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨  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.        ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~
^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                    //                    ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                   /  /                   ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~/    /~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                   /  /                   ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                    //                    ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^
~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~
/~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~/
*/~^¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨^~/*