You might be expecting a post laden with euphemism or thinly veiled drug references. This is not that post. Any post I could possibly write about drugs would be very short, unless I was able to draw from my extensive knowledge gleaned from marathons of Breaking Bad on Netflix and Requiem for a Dream.
No, instead, I’m thinking about actual incense.
Somehow, I managed to acquire a box of “Dragon’s Blood” incense sticks. Most likely, somebody left them in my apartment. I certainly didn’t buy them and weird shit appears all the time around here. For instance, I have a box of sparklers whose origin is dubious. I’ve been tempted to light one of the sparklers, but I can imagine all the ways that might end in horror, tragedy, and comedy, depending on whose face gets immolated and whose doesn’t.
Without further preamble, here are my random thoughts about the incense stick that is cheerfully smoking away on the desk beside me:
- I had a roommate that used to burn a lot of incense because he smoked a tremendous amount of marijuana. This was one of my most poignant incense memories. In fact, he convinced me that everybody bought incense solely for this purpose.
- My mom burned a lot of incense when she had her apartment. She does not smoke weed (as far as I know). There’s a funny story, though, about her neighbor who did assume the pot smoking, because of the previously mentioned usage rule.
- I like watching the smoke drift around the room because it’s a pure writer trope to smoke and write. The problem is that I really like my lungs and don’t want to start smoking, but I’m also heavily influenced by media and pop culture depictions of writing.
- I wonder how bad all this incense smoke is for my lungs. It can’t be good for my lungs. Smoke is smoke, right?
- Why did they decide to call this particular scent “Dragon’s Blood?” It smells more herbal than sanguinary or reptilian, in my opinion. In my mind, real dragon’s blood would smell more coppery.
- Even though it’s all emotionally cleansing and such, I’m sure this is not healthy. I should Google this. I’m going to Google this.
- Yup, turns out that burning incense, as well as candles, “can be a significant source of indoor air pollution, including combustion products from candles, which can emit varying amounts of soot and pollutants.” So that’s good news. I feel very relaxed now that I know this.
That’s all I’ve got tonight. Sorry. I’ll try to have something more substantial for my post tomorrow. Maybe something about the political spectrum, maybe.
Cynical Idealism 
The Dragon’s Blood Incense actually dates back around the 1st century Romans. It is usually a mixture of plants (Draconis Palm and Draconis Cinnabar) and was used by many cultures including VooDoo, American HooDoo, Neopagan Witchcraft and folk medicine. The properties are to promote many things in your life such as protection, cleansing, money-drawing, love drawing, it was also thought to cure wounds, and some bodily functions that I won’t go into. The red pigment of the Cinnabar was also used to varnish violins with that nice rose color.
I do believe I left it for you though, ’cause it smells good and you loved dragons as a kid!!!!! (and no, I did not smoke pot in my apt.!!!!)
That’s a very thorough explanation of where that incense came from and why it’s called what it’s called. Well done.