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)