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)