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)