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)