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)