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)