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)