,&,,&,,,,& &&,,&&&,,,
,,,,,,&&,, ,,,,,&,,&&
,&&&&,,,,& &&&&,,,,,,
,,&&,,&&,, &&&,,&&&&&
,,,,,,,,,, &&,,,,&&&,
&&&&&&&&&& Winds esker &,,&&,,&,,
,&&&&&&&&& ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ,,,,,,,,,,
,,&&&&&&&& ,&&&&&&&&&
,,,&&&&&&& There Was This Place That For Two Years ,,&&&&&&&,
&&,,&&&&&, I Couldn'T Go To. Regardless How Much &,,&&&&&,,
,,,,,&&&,, Discussed With Others, Or Pointed Out ,,,,&&&,,,
&&&&,,&,,, On Maps, I Could Not Think Of It When &&&,,&,,&&
&&&,,,,,&& Alone. I Would Often Travel Past The &&,,,,,,,&
&&,,&&&,,& Fork, Where A Right Turn Would Surely &,,&&&&&,,
,,,,,&,,,, Take Me There, But Even Then, Something ,,,,&&&,,,
&&&&,,,&&, Kept Me Away. ,&&,,&,,&&
&&&,,&,,,, ,,,,,,,,,&
&&,,,,,&&, When I Finally Got There, After Some &&&&&&&&,,
,,,&&&,,,, Heavy Subconscious Battle I Must &&&&&&&,,,
&&,,&,,&&& Assume, The Place Was Surreal. An ,&&&&&,,&&
&,,,,,,,&& Esker, Like A Needle-Thin Rift Out In ,,&&&,,,,&
,,&&&&&,,& The Lake, But Ten Meters High And ,,,&,,&&,,
&,,&&&,,,, Adorned In Birch, Willow, Bracken, And &&,,,,,,,&
,,,,&,,&&, Blueberries. ,,,&&&&&,,
&&&,,,,,,, &&,,&&&,,&
&&,,&&&&&, Walking Atop That Spine, I Came To ,,,,,&,,,,
,,,,,&&&,, Notice The View To Either Side. There &&&&,,,&&,
&&&&,,&,,, Should Be Shores, Of Course, But I ,&&,,&,,,,
,&&,,,,,&& Didn'T Recognize Them. First Off, They ,,,,,,,&&,
,,,,&&&,,, Were Much Too Close, As The Lake Should &&&&&&,,,,
&&&,,&,,&& Stretch For A Hundred Meters More On &&&&&,,&&&
&&,,,,,,,, Both Sides. But Now I Felt I Could &&&&,,,,&&
&,,&&&&&&& Almost Reach Out And Touch Them. And ,&&,,&&,,&
,,,,&&&&&, Then, When I Realized Which Shores They ,,,,,,,,,,
&&&,,&&&,, Were, I Had To Stop. &&&&&&&&&&
&&,,,,&,,, &&&&&&&&&&
&,,&&,,,&& They Were Of The Right Lake. But This ,&&&&&&&&&
,,,,,,&,,, Lake Is Large, Fractured, And ,,&&&&&&&&
,&&&&,,,&& Bipartite. Like A Pair Of Lungs Carved &,,&&&&&&,
,,&&,,&,,& Into The Granite, And With No Less Than ,,,,&&&&,,
&,,,,,,,,, Five Communities Anchored At Various ,&&,,&&,,&
,,&&&&&&&& Points. And So, Studying These ,,,,,,,,,,
&,,&&&&&&& Impossibly Close Shores, I Slowly ,&&&&&&&&&
,,,,&&&&&, Understood Them As Belonging Many Miles ,,&&&&&&&&
,&&,,&&&,, Away. &,,&&&&&&,
,,,,,,&,,, ,,,,&&&&,,
&&&&&,,,&& I Examined The Ridge, The Treeline ,&&,,&&,,&
&&&&,,&,,& Above. Was This What You Saw Opposite, ,,,,,,,,,,
,&&,,,,,,, From Those Other Shores? I Couldn'T &&&&&&&&&,
,,,,&&&&&, Remember. &&&&&&&&,,
&&&,,&&&,, ,&&&&&&,,&
&&,,,,&,,, Carrying Forward, On The Very Tip Of ,,&&&&,,,,
,,,&&,,,&& The Esker, I Found The Ruins Of Some ,,,&&,,&&,
&&,,,,&,,, Old Building. There Were Overgrown &&,,,,,,,,
,,,&&,,,&& Marble Staircases, Stone Floors Beneath ,,,&&&&&&,
&&,,,,&,,& The Moss, And Strange Slabs Inserted &&,,&&&&,,
,,,&&,,,,, Into The Slope Like Dams Against The ,,,,,&&,,,
&&,,,,&&&, Ground Itself. &&&&,,,,&&
&,,&&,,&,, ,&&,,&&,,&
,,,,,,,,,, Sitting There, I Could See Across The ,,,,,,,,,,
&&&&&&&&&& Narrowed Lake My Entire Path To Where I &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& Sat: From The Stairwell Of My House, &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& Through The Old Woods Behind The Tile &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& Factory, The Bridge Over Route &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& Twenty three And Then Back Under It, &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& Through The Fancy Villas, Over The &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& Fields, And Then That Right Turn At The &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& Fork. &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& And Then The Stairs Up On The Ridge. &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& Thinking Back, This Was Probably It. &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& Hidden In A Grove, There Were Stairs &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& Much Like The Ones I Currently Sat On, &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& Old And Worn Down, That Lead You Up &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& Onto The Esker. The Point Of Entry. Had &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& I Insted Opted To Walk The Path At Its &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& Foot, I'M Sure My Experience Would'Ve &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& Been Different Indeed. &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& On The Lake, There Were People In &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& Boats. I Wondered, Could They Even See &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& Me? If I Shouted, Would They Turn To &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& Stare Right Through Me? &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& &&&&&&&&&&
&&&&&&&&&& &&&&&&&&&&