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)