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)