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)