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)