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)