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)