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)