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)