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)