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)