Things That are White

This Pillow Book entry is inspired by The Pillow Book of Sei Shōnagon, translated and edited by Ivan Morris. Sei Shōnagon was a courtesan in 10th century Japan who kept a diary of the goings-on at court and concealed it in her wooden pillow. She made lists under various categories of specific, often quirky things.



A wedding dress. Perfection. The skin of a new born baby. The soul of an innocent child. The tops of mountains. The world early in the morning after a light snow. The petals on a daisy. The bedroom my sister and I shared when we went to visit Nanny in West Virginia. Even the knotted bedspreads that felt like they were covered with tiny round candies. And the radiator that clicked and pinged in the dead of night. We fought over who would have to sleep in the bed closest to it. Misty always won.  After all, she was the oldest, even if only by fourteen months.