Mouse girl Likes Shoes          
                                          
                                      
                                          
 In This Dream  I  Was A  Girl  Of  Maybe 
 Sixteen Years,  Together With My Dad  In 
 A  Huge  Bath  House  /  Spa /  Hotel  / 
 Shopping centre.      Dad Was  Constatly 
 Pointing Out  Hot Girls To Me. "You  See 
   That Black-Haired Thing Dissapearing   
 Behind  The  Clothes  Rack?  Oof!"  He'D 
 Say.  He Was  Always  Very Creepy  About 
 This,   Going   For   Girls    My   Age. 
                                          
 This Night  He Had Just Tried  To  Woo A 
 Girl He Called  A  "Mouse" By Buying Her 
 Shoes, But She  Had  Accepted Them  Only 
 To Run Away Immediately  Afterward.  Dad 
 Was  A   Bit  Bummed   But  Dropped   It 
 Quickly. I  Said Goodnight  To  Him  And 
        Went Looking For The Mouse.       
                                          
 The Building  Was Enormous And Mazelike. 
 Walls,  Floors And  Pillars Were  Set In 
 Green  Marble. Throughout The  House Ran 
 A  Main  Boulevard,  Wide As  A  Street, 
 Framed With Clay Vases  Dark As Obsidian 
 And Taller  Than A Person. In Each  Vase 
 Was Placed  Upright A Leaf  From  A Palm 
 Tree Or  Giant Fern.  The Boulevard  Was 
 Dimly Lit,  Which Allowed The Pools That 
   Were Generously Sprinkled Throughout   
   Each Floor Would Reflect Suggestive    
          Patterns On The Marble.         
                                          
                                      
                                          
 Following The Boulevard, Two  Floors  Up 
 I  Found  Her  Crying  Behind  Two  Fern 
 Vases.  She  Was  Beautiful,  And  As  I 
 Approached,  She Looked Up And Sniveled. 
 In The  Nearest  Vase  She  Had  Stuffed 
              Both The Shoes.             
                                          
 I  Told  Her  To Follow,  But She Didn'T 
 Move  Or  Speak.  So  Instead I Said  To 
 Stay There, And Ran To Get Her  A Better 
 Pair  Of  Shoes That  She Would Actually 
 Like.  When  I  Returned,  Having  Spent 
 More Than I  Could  Really  Afford,  She 
 Was  Visibly Impressed. I Tried To Sound 
 Cool,  Saying Something  Like  "What  Do 
 You  Think, Just  Because  A Girl  Has A 
 Freaky  Dad, She  Doesn'T  Have  Taste?" 
 But  Mouse  Girl  Just  Laughed  At  Me. 
                                          
 She Then Took Me By The Hand And  Led Me 
 Out   A   Side  Route  To  A  Closed-Off 
 Rooftop Walking  Garden, Full Of Juniper 
 And  Thuja.  It Was  A Late Evening, And 
     The Stars Were Glittering. Being     
 Closed, The  Garden Had Its Light Turned 
 Off, But  We  Could  Still  See Our  Way 
 Around By  The  Light  Shining Down From 
 The  Windows   Of  The   Higher  Floors. 
                                          
 She Lay Down In  A Patch Of Grass. I Sat 
 Down  On  My  Knees,  And  Then  Crawled 
 Closer. She  Laughed  At  Me  Again, And 
                  Said -                  
                                          
                                      
                                          
 (Here I Am Awakened By The Morning Crew)