.....-††&# #&††-.....
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.....---†& &†---.....
..-††§&@## ##@&§††-..
..-††§&@## ##@&§††-..
.....††§§@ ................ @§§††.....
......-†§@ the alvar fields @§†-......
..-††§&@## §§§##########§§§ ##@&§††-..
..-††§@### ###@§††-..
......†§&# from north to south, thirty odd #&§†......
..-††§&@## kilometers. from west to east, four ##@&§††-..
.....††§&& thousand meters. from topsoil to stone, &&§††.....
....†††&&& a foot or two. no roots can fester, no &&&†††....
.......†§@ dust can linger. @§†.......
..-††&@### ###@&††-..
..-††††§&# here is earth, clay, and sturdy low #&§††††-..
..-††§@### plants. bushes frame the strip. the ###@§††-..
.....--††& earth is bare in patches as large as &††--.....
..-††§§§@@ you and me. @@§§§††-..
.....-†&&# #&&†-.....
.....-†§&# cross it to get to the ocean, or don't #&§†-.....
..-††§&@## to stay where you are. ##@&§††-..
......-†&@ @&†-......
...-†††§§& &§§†††-...
......†§&# #&§†......
....-†§§&& &&§§†-....
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