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)