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)