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)