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)