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)