.....:~~^§                                          §^~~:.....
.:~†^¤§¶##                                          ##¶§¤^†~:.
:~†^¤§¶###                                          ###¶§¤^†~:
...:::~^§§                                          §§^~:::...
.:~†^¤§¶##                                          ##¶§¤^†~:.
.:~†^¤¤¤§#                    ††                    #§¤¤¤^†~:.
.:~†^¤§¶##                   †  †                   ##¶§¤^†~:.
.:~†^¤§### ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~†    †~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ###§¤^†~:.
....~^^§§§                   †  †                   §§§^^~....
....:†^§¶#                    ††                    #¶§^†:....
.:~†^¤§¶##                                          ##¶§¤^†~:.
...::~†¤§§  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.        #§§^~::...
.:~†^¤§¶##                                          ##¶§¤^†~:.
.:~^¤§¶###                    ††                    ###¶§¤^~:.
....:~~^§#                   †  †                   #§^~~:....
.:~†^¤§¶## ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~†    †~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ##¶§¤^†~:.
.:~†^¤§¶¶¶                   †  †                   ¶¶¶§¤^†~:.
.:~†^¤§¶##                    ††                    ##¶§¤^†~:.
.....~^¤¶#                                          #¶¤^~.....
...:::~^§§                                          §§^~:::...
.:~†^¤§¶¶¶                                          ¶¶¶§¤^†~:.
..:~~~~^§§                                          §§^~~~~:..
.:~†^¤§¶##                                          ##¶§¤^†~:.
.:~†^¤§¶##                                          ##¶§¤^†~:.