.....^†@&&                                          &&@†^.....
......^†@&                                          &@†^......
.....^††@@                                          @@††^.....
.^=†§@@@@&                                          &@@@@§†=^.
.^===†§@@@                                          @@@§†===^.
.^=†§@&@##                    ††                    ##@&@§†=^.
.^=†§@&@@@                   †  †                   @@@&@§†=^.
.^=†§@&@## =================†    †================= ##@&@§†=^.
.^=†§@&###                   †  †                   ###&@§†=^.
...==†††@&                    ††                    &@†††==...
.^=†§@&@##                                          ##@&@§†=^.
..^=†§@&@@  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.       ###@&@†=^.
.^=†§@&@##                                          ##@&@§†=^.
...^††§@&&                    ††                    &&@§††^...
.^^^==†@&#                   †  †                   #&@†==^^^.
.^=†§@@@@& =================†    †================= &@@@@§†=^.
.^=†§@&@##                   †  †                   ##@&@§†=^.
....=††§&&                    ††                    &&§††=....
.^=†§@&@##                                          ##@&@§†=^.
.^=†§@&@##                                          ##@&@§†=^.
......=§§&                                          &§§=......
....^=††@&                                          &@††=^....
.^=†§@&@##                                          ##@&@§†=^.
......^†@@                                          @@†^......