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)