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)