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)