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)