Qualia

Daniel Dennett writes that when
we smell something,
we don't actually smell
anything. Or,
rather, we don't have the smell,
ineffably,
privately, but must be told
by physicians,
philosophers, neurosci-
entists, psycho-
logists, linguists what we sense
at the moment.
It takes a village to taste
a coffee, claims
Dennett and his empiricist
buds. And while I

disagree, I must admit
it's comforting
to turn the lonely task of
comprehension
over to an external
benevolent
intellect, to stretch stiff limbs,
to taste morning
coffee, to feel hot water
running down my
back, without the burden of
stretching, tasting,
feeling anything at all.