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)