Nahno McLein

Did you ever think about seeing lists as art, as poetry, as a piece of writing that can have a greater meaning?
Japanese Sei Shonagon definitely sees that in list. In The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon she uses 164 lists, showing contrahents and expressing whatever she wanted to. For her, as a writer one can include whatever one wants. Good to know!

Titles of her lists include: Things that cannot be compared, Things that lost their power, People who seem to suffer, Things that gain by being painted, Things that loose by being painted...

Now I wrote some on my own:
...

Things animals and people do!

- dogs poo on the sidewalk next to the litter box

- men disappear behind the bush, returning while zipping their pants


- ducks wait for bread crumbs on the river

- old women try to break their loaves into pieces at the river


- foxes scavange the park, undisturbed by visitors

- students on a bar crawl without a destination


- a swan hit by a rower's blade

- a rower aiming at the swan


Things that happen between 3am and 3am.

- a siren rushing down Western Blvrd

- a beggar sneaking up behind a Sainsbury's, skipping food out of their waste

- a knife held against a lonely girl to scare her to death, so she hands over her wallet

- a group of teenagers walking in the middle of the street, followed by an aggravated car driver


Now try it on your own, or better look up her book, because she has some really interesting things to say!