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)