It began with the dreaming mothers.
Their babies came out familiar in shape
but not in substance
Pickle Baby
Ice Cream Baby
Crispy Tofu Baby
The first births were recorded
by nurses with trembling hands.
Others came
Chocolate Baby
Nutella Baby
Marshmallow Baby
The phenomenon had no ground zero, no borders.
Doctors around the world compared notes
Cassava Baby
Chickpea Baby
Spicy Squid Baby
and searched for a cure,
meanwhile pleading with mothers to maintain their health.
The mothers tried
Asparagus Baby
Broccoli Baby
Peanut Butter Baby
But they had needs
Bacon Baby
Rum Baby
Maraschino Cherry Baby
Tiny Umbrella Baby
They couldn’t control their dreams…
Vodka Baby
Wine Baby
Gin & Tonic Baby
…of all the things they couldn’t have
Highball Baby
Marlboro Baby
Raw Cookie Dough Baby
Unpasteurized Milk Baby
The doctors kept waking the mothers up to feed them applesauce and admonishment, but they kept on dreaming…
Imported Soft Cheese Baby
Beef Tartare Baby
Sushi Baby
Swordfish Baby
Just About Any Goddamn Fish Baby
…until finally the mothers said, “Enough!
We still love Pickle Baby
and Crispy Tofu Baby
and Peanut Butter Baby
and Highball Baby
and yes, even Just About Any Goddamn Fish Baby is okay.
They’re all our babies.”
And then they dreamed whatever they wanted.
And by the time Peanut Butter Baby grew up and ruled the world
there were even more kinds of babies, like
Equal Pay Baby
No More Street Harassment Baby
Corporate Leadership Equity Baby
Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation Baby
and
Respect Your Elders Baby,
who eventually had
To Hell With Plastic Surgery Baby
and
Male Pregnancy Baby,
who gave immediate birth to
Right to Choose Baby
and her twin
Self-Determination Baby
And when Self-Determination Baby usurped the throne
her first and last order
before abolishing the position of Ruler of the World
was to tell the mothers to dream
and keep on dreaming.
— Tara Campbell is a Washington, D.C.-based writer. With a BA in English and an MA in German, she has a demonstrated aversion to money and power.
Originally from Anchorage, Alaska, Tara has also lived in Oregon, Ohio, New York, Germany and Austria. Her work has appeared in publications such as Barrelhouse, The Master’s Review, and Queen Mob’s Teahouse.