#§§§~¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨~§§§#
##@#$§/~^¨                                          ¨^~/§$#@##
@##$§/~^¨¨                                          ¨¨^~/§$##@
####$§/~^¨                                          ¨^~/§$####
#$///~^¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨^~///$#
##§~~^¨¨¨¨                    //                    ¨¨¨¨^~~§##
##§~¨¨¨¨¨¨                   /  /                   ¨¨¨¨¨¨~§##
##@#$§/~^¨ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~/    /~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ¨^~/§$#@##
##@#$§/~^¨                   /  /                   ¨^~/§$#@##
#$$/~~^^¨¨                    //                    ¨¨^^~~/$$#
##$$$§/~^¨                                          ¨^~/§$$$##
#@$//~¨¨¨¨  in a black rubbery sleep i dream about  ¨¨¨¨~//$@#
@$$§~¨¨¨¨¨         cold boiling asphalt and         ¨¨¨¨¨~§$$@
##@#$§/~^¨        crimson emergency flares...       ¨^~/§$#@##
####$§/~^¨                                          ¨^~/§$####
@#§~¨¨¨¨¨¨                    //                    ¨¨¨¨¨¨~§#@
#§//^^¨¨¨¨ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~/  /~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ¨¨¨¨^^//§#
##@#$§/~^¨                    //                    ¨^~/§$#@##
####$§/~^¨                                          ¨^~/§$####
##@#$§/~^¨    they were tearing down statues, and   ¨^~/§$#@##
##$$§~^¨¨¨  bellowing their manifest, in the rain,  ¨¨¨^~§$$##
##@#$§/~^¨               in the dark,               ¨^~/§$#@##
##@#$§/~^¨                                          ¨^~/§$#@##
####$§/~^¨     and something followed me out, a     ¨^~/§$####
##@#$§/~^¨  yearning. a memory of being touched by  ¨^~/§$#@##
##@#$§/~^¨    a ray from a raspberry sun. still     ¨^~/§$#@##
@@#§///~^¨   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  ¨^~~/§§§##
#@@#$§/~^¨   be too large. especially since i'm in  ¨^~/§$#@@#
#@##$§/~^¨    the work mill and they've got their   ¨^~/§$##@#
@#$$§§/~^¨   eyes on me already. the feeling will   ¨^~/§§$$#@
##@#$§/~^¨  wane, and i will miss it, and cease to  ¨^~/§$#@##
##@#$§/~^¨       understand. like every day.        ¨^~/§$#@##
#$$$//^¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨^//$$$#
@#§/~¨¨¨¨¨                    //                    ¨¨¨¨¨~/§#@
#§~^¨¨¨¨¨¨                   /  /                   ¨¨¨¨¨¨^~§#
#§§/~^^^¨¨ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~/    /~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ¨¨^^^~/§§#
###§/~~~^¨                   /  /                   ¨^~~~/§###
#§//~¨¨¨¨¨                    //                    ¨¨¨¨¨~//§#
@$§////~^¨                                          ¨^~////§$@
###$§§/~^¨                                          ¨^~/§§$###
#$§~~~¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨~~~§$#
##@#$§/~^¨                                          ¨^~/§$#@##
##@#$§/~^¨                                          ¨^~/§$#@##
##@#$§/~^¨                                          ¨^~/§$#@##