.....:~$§¶                                          ¶§$~:.....
.:~\$§§§§¶                                          ¶§§§§$\~:.
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....::\$§§                                          §§$\::....
.:~\$§§¶##                                          ##¶§§$\~:.
.:~\$§§¶##                    \\                    ##¶§§$\~:.
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.:~\$§§¶##                    \\                    ##¶§§$\~:.
.:~\$§§¶##                                          ##¶§§$\~:.
...:~\$§§#  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.        ##¶§§$\~:.
.....~~\$§                                          §$\~~.....
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.:~\$§§¶##                                          ##¶§§$\~:.
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.:~\$§§§§¶                                          ¶§§§§$\~:.