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)