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)