Shel Graves' Sensorium

“Demons are amazing beings, simple in design and intent—to foster and promote evil in such a way as to undo the goodness of mankind and to cause the ruination if not outright destruction of all that is held to be pure and good. We should all have such clarity of purpose.” — Encyclopedia of Demons in World Religions and Cultures , Theresa Bane I will be starting National Novel Writing month with a bang by writing seven demons in the first seven days. I feel the need to explain a bit — Don't worry, mom! — because demons still feel elicit and dangerous. Which is rather exciting. And definitely the point. I generally don't spend much time thinking about demons. There are people out there who do. In preparing for my novel writing monsters, I discovered the local library had a demonology, the Encyclopedia of Demons in World Religions and Cultures by Theresa Bane. Even with Halloween approaching, I felt weird carrying around a book about demons. While I don't have a care ab...

Taste: hot cocoa; pumpkin cookies, apple oatmeal muffins, pumpkin chocolate bread; mom's lemon bread Sight: Peas, corn, grapes, lettuce in a tiny plastic bag. The turkey eating out of the little girl's hand.; repeated images of animals on screen - "Enjoy the Silence," Depeche Mode concert; golden rope - Professor Marston and the Wonder Women; Frankie & Jo's double scoop caramel black ask ice cream in a black cocoa waffle cone dripping with moon goo - activated charcoal caramel sauce Sound: Warpaint; "It's a competitive world. Everything counts in large amounts.", "Let me see you stripped.", "Where's the revolution/Come on, people/You're letting me down." Revolution, Depeche Mode; whir, coo, trill, gobble; rain pelts on a tin roof; Kanga "Going Red"; "My Name is Ruin" Gary Numan Smell: sour, sharp body odor; the house smelled wonderfully of spices cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, pumpkin pi...

She makes ritual pie. Taste: pumpkin pie and pumpkin pie spice; cocoa; Elysian Night Owl pumpkin ale Sight: scaly chicken feet, little white chicken eyelashes; a goat eyes closed resting yin yang against another's haunches Sound: flapping; rain patter; "Each one of us fights battles no one else can see/Some days just waking up is an act of bravery." — Bravery, Assemblage 23  "This is a document to prove that I was here./This is a document to prove I was at all." — Document, Assemblage 23 Smell: pumpkin pie spice Touch: chicken feathers over taut wings Extra: killing a rabbit, a killer, a gun, an orgy, watching a stupid adult cartoon show; "Drunk with pines and long kisses,/ like summer I steer the fast sail of the roses,/ bent towards the death of the thin day, stuck into my solid marine madness." — Drunk With Pines, Pablo Neruda;  Question: Are we perpetuating the systems we seek to crumble? ; We only pay attention to what we ...

Taste: frozen waffles; cloves; pumpkin stout Sight: women in handmaid's costumes Sound: "When women's rights are under attack, what do we do? Stand up! Fight back!" Smell: casserole Touch: shivering, numb feet, red curled fingers; thick globs of clove lip balm Extra: becoming more and more convinced that only women can save the world; when physical discomfort usefully distracts from mental distress; at Burning Man the acid singes your throat, the dust stings and you have forgotten your goggles once again; waste words Grateful for: libraries, loving men, bookclub, wise women, dedicated people

Taste: guava cake; vegan poutine Sight: cat stalking the Stellar Jays; a flannel gray day; double rainbow - triple cobweb Sound: a chittering cat; pop!; bubbling; "a flannel gray day" Smell: fried foods; a fruit bowl trapped on an airplane; sugar cookies Touch: engine rumble, rocking, waterjets Extra: "They danced down the streets like dingledodies, and I shambled after as I've been doing all my life after people who interest me, because the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes "Awww!" — On the Road , Jack Kerouac Grateful for: friends, friends, friends; walking; vegan restaurants in out of the way places; surrealism