£*=~......                                          ......~=*£
*=~.......                                          .......~=*
=~........                                          ........~=
~.........                                          .........~
..........                                          ..........
~.........                    ==                    .........~
=~........                   =  =                   ........~=
*=~....... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~=    =~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ .......~=*
£*=~......                   =  =                   ......~=*£
@£*=~.....                    ==                    .....~=*£@
¶@£*=~....                                          ....~=*£@¶
@¶@£*=~...  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.        ......~=*£
*=~.......                                          .......~=*
=~........                    ==                    ........~=
~.........                   =  =                   .........~
.......... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~=    =~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ..........
~.........                   =  =                   .........~
=~........                    ==                    ........~=
*=~.......                                          .......~=*
£*=~......                                          ......~=*£
@£*=~.....                                          .....~=*£@
¶@£*=~....                                          ....~=*£@¶
@¶@£*=~...                                          ...~=*£@¶@
#@¶@£*=~..                                          ..~=*£@¶@#