babyteeth issue 3 winter ‘24
snowy, lovely babies, Yur mama doesn’t babyteeth like we do. And boy, did we do it this week. We have paintings, never-before-seen abstract comics, poetry, odes, cats, and so much more. A real milieu. HEY. hope u had a valentine’s day so special ur heart grew a little. Babyteeth famously is associated with the holiday known as valentine’s day, because we love pink. So, I hope u thought of us. We sure were thinking of u. Frankly, some of us wanted to kiss you on your face and give you a huuuuuuuuuuge smooch, but couldn’t, because we didn’t ask, and consent is mandatory. And 21+ to drink. And 18+ to read this editor’s note. We might keep this short and sweet. We got class at 10:10! we stole this guys table and really should leave, HE WANTS US OUT! love is in the air, and our love is in our loins, sofia “has to write upwards of seven pages on boat terrorism today” durdag lily “masked and mysterious” akre olivia “we dub thee,” ho ruby “ASLEEP” mead
darling darling contributors contributors elsa julianna owen aidan annie
snowbeck, baldo, roth, walker, bergmann
(COVER!), colin adiana sunniva stewie olivia ava lily sofia katelyn ruby max ethan noel
james, contreras, maharjan, goon, ho, blaufuss, akre, durdag, harder, mead, votruba, kinsella, wang
one of my favorite birds is the shrike. it’s a small, sparrow-shaped hawk, with black tertiary feathers and ebony brown eyes. i don’t think a lot of other people think about shrikes the way i do. see, shrikes are called the butcher bird. they hunt by impaling their prey on thorns and sharp tree branches. in my field guide, the author jokingly describes them as nature’s smallest serial killer: rough, never gentle. not sweet but needlessly cruel.
i disagree with him. shrikes are devoted parents. a mother shrike developes long, beautiful breast feathers t0 shield her eggs from the cold. she eats the poisonous heads off of praying mantises to save the sweeter flesh for her chicks. she will throw herself, again and again and again, at attackers wanting her babies, until her wings are pierced by long talons and she is dragged from the air.
Pomelo Picture and Prose by Julianna Baldo collage by Olivia Ho
why does devotion have to be gentle? does love really have to be soft and demure? the mother shrike is not kind; she can’t afford to be. she is not subtle, meek or coy, light and willowy. but she loves. she loves so hard that even as her feathers are ripped from her falling body, she whistles a lullaby.
this collage is by olivia ho
I Don’t Speak English Anymore New stores open up Every day at the mall New electrical outlets appear Every day on my wall And they come with video instructions Well, what do you know! They list all kinds of functions But I don’t speak English anymore And I still love my mother But lately I’m not doing too hot So I went to the mall this morning To see if I’d want what they got And they had all kinds of electrical appliances The kind that’s perfect for plugging into your wall So I grabbed a few and walked down the aisle But when I got to the cashier, I just couldn’t, couldn’t understand what she was saying.
o w e n r o t h
m i l k , katelyn harder
WHERE, OH WHERE IS AIDAN’S POEM? My poem is yet forthcoming I wrote it in my dreams. I sure did hope to have it here to spread some joy and glee.
I disappoint. I swear I care. So in its stead I’ll leave A couple thoughts. You sorry lot Await my poem next week.
aidan walker
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