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)