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)