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)