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)