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)