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)