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)