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)