Shadows grow and wane
Like radish seeds and lemon trees
Like your vines exploring my skin
The wind swaying along the shore
I hear the stomps and the skids
The boom and the crash
The vibration of decay
Of a beautiful facade
A taste gone sour
Aphids on its leaves
Rot within its roots
A space can only resonate with respect
Within gentle care
When wounds are tended to
When the garden is cleared
When the crops can be harvested
When the stomps become tiptoes
When the skids can sway
Glide like your smooth caress
The space can thrive
When I have you within my arms
Take you in my mouth
And lose myself within your senses
This space with lavender seeds
Incense and basil leaves
With your calm presence
Gentle smile and curious eyes
The space glows with my shadows
Dancing to the tune of my sorrows
The spark of lingering desires
And the mystery of approaching autumns.
I lay in this space
Within calm moments between chaos
To remember how it may feel
When I can no longer remember
What it means
To simply be
Claudio Yurdadön is a Turkish/American artist and statistician. Raised within two divergent cultures, while trying to find roots in both, sparked their critique on many cultural norms and behaviors that were conditioned into the genders to be performed. A few of the main themes that recurs within their work are those relating to gender identity/expression, relationships with the self/other, and inquiring into the nature and constructs of this existence. Their work is expressed through the mediums of poetry, photography, and video sequences. Playing with shadows, they explore the relationships between light and dark — a reconnection to ourselves and to the natural world around us. Using recursions, loops and spirals they evaluate the patterns of thought and logic; Practicing mindfulness to go deeper within the roots of ones being to confront and transcend deep rooted traumas, anxieties and fears.