Shel Graves' Sensorium

Taste: nutmeg in dark chocolate, the Cocoa Beware truffle from Chocolati Touch: silky, buttery smooth on the tongue Smell: roasted potato in olive oil Sight: the play of light, red maple leaves through a translucent veil, shadows on the window sheer, an autumn day framed by red velvet curtains Sound: changing lanes, the car's engine a furious, paved roar Extra: we city-dwellers may have placed the logs in the urban lake for the turtles to sunbathe on near to the shore for our enjoyment the same way we might put a stick in an aquarium; we manipulate our environment at all levels

Taste: lemon water Touch: warm water Smell: coffee Sight: powerpoint screen; women working and putting on weight Sound: a woman speaking remotely with a Georgian accent she will try to moderate so that she can be understood Extra: the irony of the non-interactive presentation on interactive media, the woman speaks, the words are still upon the screen; the difference between the words hell and purgatory; "She liked the work; it combined two things she valued: accurate factual research and a specific goal of increase or betterment. Without such work she would not have been satisfied. But it by no means sufficed her. Most of what went on inside Takver's mind and spirit had little to do with fish genetics." — Ursula K. Le Guin's The Dispossessed

Taste: spice on the edge of burning, truly hot cooled by garlic naan Touch : When the child dressed in a fleece sleeper softly sits in my lap. Smell: saffron, cinnamon, cardamom, tumeric, roasted cashews and raisins, curry: there's an Indian restaurant in Everett again Sight: cabernet and mango lassi colors; the curled rose-colored leaves weighted by leftover raindrops Sound: A remote English accent on the radio in Eastern Washington Extra: I've had three recent dreams about returning home: going downtown, rounding the hill, and being at the high school. I can't remember the mood of the dreams, except for the high school, stomach-churning, nightmarish. The tree at Summittview Elementary still stands and seems significant. This isolated place preserves my childhood memories. I still think I can find my way, 20 years later.; "In a revolution, kings lose their heads. Therefore, think like a peasant." — Dan Forbush, founder of Profnet

Taste: tomato paste, tomato juice, stewed tomatoes, and burnt roasted garlic: ranch stew Touch: tight, hamstrung muscles, after running eight miles and dancing all night Smell: smoky raspberry incense Sight : the boy beside me is wearing a silver ring with a long oval opaque black stone Sound: rattling bass and the high-pitched shrieks of teenage fangirls behind me and into a microphone ahead it is too loud even with earplugs Extra: I dreamt of left out cooked food: quiches, omelets, egg sandwiches and ham

Taste: banana, butterscotch Belgian ale Touch: a warm buttery Sunday in bed; a sunny, cool, easy to breathe in October day Smell: popcorn Sight: I'm looking at the sun on the lake. I close my eyes. On my eyelids are red, white, and blue flashes, inverted eyelashes, of lightning — the way Sync Chrome City psychics connect. Sound: Juno Reactor's Pistolero Extra: Justine, a good girl's name, meaning Justice

Taste: Faint, fermented, sweetness: Pear vodka in the Kyoto Blossom martini; the fifth flavor umami , xiānwèi: monosodium glutamate is a neurotransmitter Touch : the prickly husk of a chestnut seed, the smooth surface of the seed, its light heft, the pulpy softness of its core Smell: Ranch stew, cayenne pepper, tomatoes and onions simmering on the stove on a night in early fall Sight: long white spikes jousting off the black ends of the caterpillar, the black dots down its golden lion segment, the caterpillar paraded around the track would win the neighborhood’s Best in Show Sound: tuba, cymbals, drums; an impromptu marching band of hope for a new president: Obama Extra: commas, the pause for effect; and their absence halting with no need

Taste : condensed food, ginger teriyaki and rice and bean cakes entire meals mashed into a quick, pallid substitute, the tastes remain, reminiscent of a plate of fresh vegetables and rice in various flavors but the experience is dulled Touch: I go for a walk in the rain and I come back with the long hem of my pants soaked. I cannot get warm. I do not think to put the pants into the dryer. That night I ask can we please put a second comforter on my bed. It is early fall and I am already chilled Smell: cinnamon bread, a commercial baking kitchen Sight: California rolls, white rice with sesame seeds, a wedge of green avocado, a white chunk of crab, a pink slice of wasabi; this food is visually appealing even fascinating, it looks appetizing, and I remember I enjoy these tastes and think I should enjoy them together but I have to recall I do not like the coldness or the texture to save $6.99 Sound: American regional accents , the pronunciation of a's and o's and Washington Extr...