.~~/=%¤@## ##@¤%=/~~.
.....~//=¤ ¤=//~.....
.....~~=¤@ @¤=~~.....
.~~/=%¤#@# #@#¤%=/~~.
.~~/=%¤#@# #@#¤%=/~~.
.~~/=%¤#@@ // @@#¤%=/~~.
....~~~=%# / / #%=~~~....
....~~~/%# ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~/ /~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #%/~~~....
......~=¤# / / #¤=~......
.~~/=%%%## // ##%%%=/~~.
.~~/=%¤#@# #@#¤%=/~~.
.~~/=%¤##@ 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. ¤%//~~....
....~/=¤## ##¤=/~....
.~~/=%¤#@# // #@#¤%=/~~.
..~~~///%¤ / / ¤%///~~~..
.~~/=%¤#@# ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~/ /~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #@#¤%=/~~.
.~~/=%¤### / / ###¤%=/~~.
.~~/=%¤@## // ##@¤%=/~~.
.~~/=%¤#@# #@#¤%=/~~.
.~~/=%¤##@ @##¤%=/~~.
.~~/=%¤##@ @##¤%=/~~.
...~/===¤¤ ¤¤===/~...
.~/=%¤#@## ##@#¤%=/~.
.~~/=%¤### ###¤%=/~~.