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)