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)