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)