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)