Lost Sections of Sei Shōnagon's the Pillow Book*
[these sections were found at the Bureau of Song
by an appropriately depressed
graduate student looking for her stash of pretzel sticks
and chocolate-covered almonds**]
[57] Potions
sweet peas, dahlias, camellias
whatever I bring, he says, That’s my favorite
rose water, a Moosehead Red label from 1992, buck-
a-suck string (don’t ask)
the good news is that the cancer is not in his bones
it’s the weight that can tell the ripeness of a
pomegranate
not the size
two girls in sandals are moving pennies back and forth
across the table for luck
cheerfully, I say, That is good news
[62] Spells and Incantations
a gun-shy lover is worth his weighta gun-shy lover pairs well with the untamed
what woman, her kind, have I been?
restless, unsettled, running out into the night
star-shaped hands, winged arms
sweet gum, black gum, hazel pine
green once with August
over rooftops and hills
by November, bright red
branches, ablaze
he waits for fate to cross his path
in the roots, in the piles of leaves
a gun-shy lover pairs well with fire
if he is water
if he can’t burn
[64] yo = night = world
[why do you hasten thus to relinquish this night]
(quote of unknown origin)
most likely the word night
was also the word for night
why are you giving up?
to give back, to hand over, to untouch
[to relinquish this world, why do you hasten thus]
91* these claims have yet to be verified by experts in the
field
** from the stairwell window
bright red maple leaves
I go up and down
office work, office work
ink on my hands
leaves on the ground