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)