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)