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Definitions

2. definitions.

kiki smith’s yolk

solid worked glass


“yolk.

(noun)

-yellow or orange material stored in an animal ovum that supplies food to the developing embryo and consists chiefly of proteins, lecithin, and cholesterol.


yellow.

(noun)

-of the color between green and orange in the spectrum;

colored like ripe lemons or egg yolks.


egg.

(noun)

-an oval or round object laid by a female bird, reptile, fish, or invertebrate, usually containing a developing embryo.


female.

(noun)

- of, relating to, or being the sex that typically has the capacity to bear young or produce eggs.


glass.

(noun)

-a hard, brittle substance, typically transparent or translucent.


woman.

(noun)

-an adult female person.


egg.

(noun)

-an animal reproductive body consisting of an ovum together with its nutritive and protective envelopes and having the capacity to develop into a new individual capable of independent existence.


yellow.

(noun)

-an East or Southeast Asian person;

in reference to those who have a yellowish skin color.

[NO LONGER APPLICABLE.]


filipinx.

(noun)

-of or relating to natives or inhabitants of the Philippines (used in place of the masculine form Filipino or the feminine form Filipina);

born out of a movement to create space for and acknowledge genderqueer members of the Filipin* diaspora in the white-centric binary places their parents decide to move to.


yoke.

(noun)

-a frame fitted to a person's shoulders to carry a load in two equal portions.


nonbinary.

(noun)

-genders that don’t fall into one of the two categories, male or female.


woman.

(noun)

-a woman who is a servant or personal attendant.


glass.

(adj)

-easily broken.


yellow.

(noun)

-cowardly.


chicken

(noun)

-cowardly.


yolk.

(noun)

-yellow or orange material stored in an animal ovum that supplies food to the developing embryo and consists chiefly of proteins, lecithin, and cholesterol.”


- So Asiddao

 

This poem reflects my experience of seeing Kiki Smith's work, "yolk," for the first time. In this stream-of-consciousness poem, I used dictionary definitions of terms this art evoked for me and reworked them to help readers understand how I define myself. In this artwork, I saw a reflection of not just myself and the way I perceive my body and mind but the way others perceive me as well. For all readers, this is a poem about self-reflection. For readers who have similar ethnic and gender experiences as me, I hope this poem provides a sense of familiarity, something to which they can relate and find meaning in.

 

Biography: My name is So Asiddao and I am a second-year creative writing and music student at Oberlin College. I also spend much of my time creating visual art as well as musical and written fandom works, which you can find on my Instagram @corduroycyborg and on my Tumblr @acyborglostintimeandspace. As a second-generation Filipinx-American, I am constantly searching for ways to further highlight the voices of Asian youth and other marginalized groups in the predominantly white-centric perspective of Western society.


Instagram: @corduroycyborg


Cover Photo Source: https://www.coindesk.com/oxford-dictionaries-definitions-blockchain-miner

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