Poetic smells

Simon · Post by **Simon** » Fri Sep 30, 2005 6:22 pm

I don't know if the topic of synesthesia as been brought up here. One definition of it can be found here:

http://www.mixsig.net/

What is the smell of the number 9 ?

What is the colour of the letter Z ?

lizzytysh · Post by **lizzytysh** » Fri Sep 30, 2005 6:30 pm

Hi Simon ~

It hasn't been brought up [I don't think], but I heard a segment on NPR about it [didn't know what it was called, or had forgotten] a long time ago. It was very interesting, as Einstein [I believe it was him] had mix-and-match, crossing of senses. Apparently, it has been something that a number of 'geniuses' have experienced. Maybe Mozart was another? It's fascinating.

It also seems that people who are blind have abilities in this area. I'm thinking of Suzanne Holland from this site, a woman who is blind, and who sings and plays guitar, including at various Leonard Cohen events. Dr. Kim wrote a very intrigueing account of his time with her on Hydra. She told me, when I conversed with her in New York, how she can feel the colour red and other colours, as she chooses what to wear.

Our inherent abilities seem to be really untapped.

~ Lizzy

[Now, I can go read the link you provided.]

Aha. I just started reading [but don't have time to finish right now], but

Do you see white when you stub your toe? Does the odor of road tar taste salty?

On the first one, I thought everyone did, like how your body registers shock, even on a smaller scale. Different odors also come to me as tastes. I've often said, "It tastes just like _______ smells." However, I've always thought that this was common, too. [I still think both of these probably are, at least moreso than some of the others I glanced at.]

Simon · Post by **Simon** » Fri Sep 30, 2005 6:36 pm

lizzytysh wrote: Apparently, it has been something that a number of 'geniuses' have experienced.

And probably a number of poets...?

lizzytysh · Post by **lizzytysh** » Fri Sep 30, 2005 6:40 pm

Ah, good point! I hadn't thought of that, but I bet you might be right [not being one, I had no 'inside information' on that possibility ~ and hadn't heard it mentioned, though going by the names that were, it sure sounds likely.]

Simon · Post by **Simon** » Fri Sep 30, 2005 7:49 pm

Arthur Rimbaud's "the Vowels"

A Black, E white, I red, U green, O blue : vowels,
I shall tell, one day, of your mysterious origins :
A, black velvety jacket of brilliant flies
Which buzz around cruel smells,

Gulfs of shadow ; E, whiteness of vapours and of tents,
Lances of proud glaciers, white kings, shivers of cow-parsley ;
I, purples, spat blood, smile of beautiful lips
In anger or in the raptures of penitence;

U, waves, divine shudderings of viridian seas,
The peace of pastures dotted with animals, the peace of the furrows
Which alchemy prints on broad studious foreheads ;

O, sublime Trumpet full of strange piercing sounds,
Silences crossed by Worlds and by Angels :
O the Omega, the violet ray of Her Eyes !

Translated by Oliver Bernard : Arthur Rimbaud, Collected Poems (1962)

lizzytysh · Post by **lizzytysh** » Fri Sep 30, 2005 7:57 pm

Very interesting poem, Simon. I like that, and it causes me to wonder what Suzanne Holland's reaction to it would be ~ how she might think or feel about it, hearing it read. Thanks for sharing it.

~ Lizzy

From the same article you linked us to ~

Does Sting's voice look like golden spheres?

No ~ but Leonard's does.

male number 4?

Four was my favourite number for years

!

I don't think I'm a synesthete ~ just a few out of all those possibilities that I could really relate to.

Tri-me · Post by **Tri-me** » Sat Oct 01, 2005 3:57 am

Synesthesia?

how does this affect one's appetite? The smell of food cooking can make a person hungry. The sense of touch from kissing and caressing can make a person horny.

lizzytysh · Post by **lizzytysh** » Sat Oct 01, 2005 4:44 am

I think the phenomena you speak of, Tri-me, are physiologically hard-wired into us for perpetuation of the species. They're 'crossing of wires' in a sense, but a pattern shared by most everyone ~ those that don't, i.e. people with autism regarding touch; a person with anorexia regarding hunger are the exceptions; whereas, it's the reverse with synesthesia as to what constitutes the rarities and exceptions. Did I explain that right? [Is it right

!?!]

I love the smells of Nag Champa incense and patchouli.

~ Lizzy

Tchocolatl · Post by **Tchocolatl** » Sat Oct 01, 2005 6:59 am

Yes of course. But I I have a particular soft spot for Tom Thomson. It may have something to do with how he deals (dealed) with light (and loneliness in nature) how he was able to catch every shades of light. How it is comforting - for some reason - to see someone who is aware that snow is not white at all but is as colourful as an exotic fish.

Tri-me, this time, how could you deal with false memory and

Afternoon Algonguin Park :

Ah... the smell of the fresh snow!

Tri-me · Post by **Tri-me** » Sat Oct 01, 2005 5:32 pm

Good to hear from you Tchocolat, was wondering if you were sitting in the dark somewhere. The Group of Seven are icons of Canadian Art, how do you add pictures to your posts?
This one looks like an early fall snow storm, like the ones out west this week.

Wow I must have been tired, did I fall asleep out in the woods? Damn I'm cold. I don't know where Michael is, he had to find a tree to "have a piss". How far did he have to go for that?
Crap it is 4:30 the bus was suppose to leave at 4:00!!! Did they leave without me? They better not; there are bears in Algonquin Park. Three boys were killed in this park last year, poor Mark Halfpenny we walked to school together many times. In 1976 three boys from Petawawa Ontario were mauled to death by bears. Mark was in my class. He was teased relentlessly by his peers. One day in French class he was crying at his desk, a guy punched him. I asked him why he punched Mark, he said because he wanted to. I punched him square in the face a true story.
When did it snow? I don't remember it snowing! Ok Ok don't panic, what did I learn in Brownies walk up stream, no walk downstream, fuck this is a lake what do you do with a lake? Those mountains in the back did we walk toward them or away from them. I want my mommy, ok ok. I will just stay here and keep warm; there is no way they left without me.
"HELP" "HELP" "HELP"
“TRIIIII-MEEEE”
"I'm over here!!!"
From the cluster of trees comes my Biology teacher. "Mr. Carnegie wow thank gaud I thought I was going to be here all night. Hope I don't have to walk far I'm cold.
Mr. Carnegie did not speak, I walked toward him. He looked at me, reached for my hands and inspected them. "Doesn't look like you have any frostbite, are your feet cold?"
“Yes, but not too bad, is Merle back with everyone?”
“Yes he came back when he was told to. I have never in my life been so angry, start marching, that way.”
We started walking; he kept one hand on my shoulder, as if I were a prisoner that might escape. Shrugging my shoulders, “Please Mr. Carnegie”
“You little girl will never ever go on another school trip, this is going on your permanent record.”
“Am I going to get the strap?”
“We will decide that later, shut up and walk. You know how hard it was for me to get approval for this outing? You know what happened to Mark Halfpenny and his brother, we warned you; don’t get away from the group. You little girl with your I’m all grown up attitude. You are still a child, you have shown that you are not grown up you have shown the extent of your immaturity. “
This makes me start to cry like a baby. “Crying won’t get you out of this one. I don’t want you in my class anymore, you parents will have to hire a tutor to teach you science, I don’t want to see your face.”
“I wish a bear got me”
Mr. Carnegie stopped walking; he looked at me with no expression on his face. “No you don’t. You need to learn about responsibility. You have no idea the guilt that would have consumed me for the rest of my life if something had happened to you. Your immaturity would have done so much damage to so many people, you really have no idea. You are a selfish, stupid little girl.”
“I’mmm sso sssorry”
Nothing like this has ever happened to me again, I stayed in Mr. Carnegie’s class, but he was never the same, no more pleasant smiles from him. I never felt so ashamed of myself. I could never look Walter in the face, good thing we moved to Yellowknife after grade 7.

Tchocolatl · Post by **Tchocolatl** » Sun Oct 02, 2005 3:10 am

I don't get the sitting-in-the-dark-thing. It is you who are sitting in the dark during one of my eclipse (partial). Anyway. Let's be serious a little.

To add pictures to a post you can 1) take a little pinch of powder of dried lavander and minth exposed to full moon at least 7 times during the past year. You turn 3 times to the left on your right foot, 4 times to the right on your right foot, 3 times to the left on your left foot. Jump twince in front of the computer, throw the powder and cry "I want this picture (you have to have the picture in mind) on my post. Or 2) Use the BBCode of the Options below - left.

(and don't get lost, I would not forgive you)

Tri-me · Post by **Tri-me** » Sun Oct 02, 2005 4:33 am

I don't get the sitting-in-the-dark-thing

i heard on the news that there were power outages in Montreal.?

Damn I don't have lavender

[img]http://www.freewebs.com/mazerolleg ... html[/img]
I couldn't make it work

lizzytysh · Post by **lizzytysh** » Sun Oct 02, 2005 1:40 pm

I've got some you can have, Tri-me

.

Tchocolatl · Post by **Tchocolatl** » Mon Oct 03, 2005 1:55 am

Tri-me wrote:i heard on the news that there were power outages in Montreal.?

Indeed there were some around here but I was not touched at all. I guess it was during the big winds of last week, many trees and branches went down.

Problem? Tri again Tri me. Read and reread the instruction and practice, lear from your mistakes. There is no other way. Or get lavander.

Tri-me · Post by **Tri-me** » Mon Oct 03, 2005 3:43 am

I tried over and over and over and over and over and over and over and again and could not get it to work.

OK I got it to work, finally!!!! I guess I was trying to use an image that I could not use. This is my teacher of CFQ Master Yap Soon Yeong I went to google images

Poetic smells

The poetry of synesthesia