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=«^.......                                          .......^«=
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£&§=«^....                                          ....^«=§&£
&§=«^.....  in a black rubbery sleep i dream about  .....^«=§&
§=«^......         cold boiling asphalt and         ......^«=§
=«^.......       crimson emergency flares...        .......^«=
«^........                                          ........^«
^.........                    ==                    .........^
«^........ ««««««««««««««««««=  =«««««««««««««««««« ........^«
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§=«^......                                          ......^«=§
&§=«^.....   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.       ........^«
=«^.......                                          .......^«=
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