,,,,,,~$$#                                          #$$~,,,,,,
,,~†$$####                                          ####$$†~,,
,,~†$$####                                          ####$$†~,,
,,~†$$####                                          ####$$†~,,
,,~†$$####                                          ####$$†~,,
,,,,,,~$$#                    ††                    #$$~,,,,,,
,,~†$$####                   †  †                   ####$$†~,,
,,,~~~$### ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~†    †~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ###$~~~,,,
,,†$$#####                   †  †                   #####$$†,,
,,~†$$####                    ††                    ####$$†~,,
,,~†$#####                                          #####$†~,,
,,~†$$####  in a black rubbery sleep i dream about  ####$$†~,,
,,,~~††$##         cold boiling asphalt and         ##$††~~,,,
,,,,~~$###        crimson emergency flares...       ###$~~,,,,
,,~†$$####                                          ####$$†~,,
,,,,,~$$$#                    ††                    #$$$~,,,,,
,,~†$$#### ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~†  †~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ####$$†~,,
,,~†$$####                    ††                    ####$$†~,,
,,~†$$####                                          ####$$†~,,
,,~†$$####    they were tearing down statues, and   ####$$†~,,
,,~†$$####  bellowing their manifest, in the rain,  ####$$†~,,
,,~†$$####               in the dark,               ####$$†~,,
,,~†$$####                                          ####$$†~,,
,,,,†††$##     and something followed me out, a     ##$†††,,,,
,,~†$$$$##  yearning. a memory of being touched by  ##$$$$†~,,
,,,,~†$$$#    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.        ####$$†~,,
,,~†$$####                                          ####$$†~,,
,,~†$$####                    ††                    ####$$†~,,
,,,,~~†$##                   †  †                   ##$†~~,,,,
,,,,,†$$$# ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~†    †~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #$$$†,,,,,
,,~†$$$###                   †  †                   ###$$$†~,,
,,~†$$$$##                    ††                    ##$$$$†~,,
,,,,~†$$$#                                          #$$$†~,,,,
,,~†$$####                                          ####$$†~,,
,,~†$$####                                          ####$$†~,,
,,,,~††$##                                          ##$††~,,,,
,,~†$$$###                                          ###$$$†~,,
,,~†$$####                                          ####$$†~,,