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)