The Biological Reaction to Seeing a Small Child

This is a piece I did for my letterpress class. I like the idea and overall composition and colors. But frankly, I'm a bit disappointed with myself on this one.

It's about being baby hungry. I wanted it to be absurd as well as understandable and relatable, and I sort of think those two things are felt pretty separately in different parts of the text. I also overdeveloped my plate with the text, washing out punctuation as well as a few letters. I think I could have spent more time with the text, but I got to a point where I just needed to print it and be done.

It was printed in an edition of 50 copies. I would like to sell them so others who can enjoy them instead of looking at them with disgust at the little technical things that went wrong can have them. So. $25 each, along with shipping and stuff to wherever you are. Either send PayPal money or a message to find another way to do it to trishelle_jeffery@yahoo.com, and you can have a print. Everyone else I've shown them to thinks they're lovely. So really, I think it is just me that would rather be rid of the things.

Below I'll post the text that's in the print, in case it isn't terribly legible on your screen.

The Biological Reaction to Seeing a Small Child

Brain

When a child is present, the woman’s usual logic and intelligence subsides so she may interact with them without worry or embarrassment. Any reasons she may not want a child of her own at that time are forgotten as long as the child is within her view. She will find herself making faces and noises that exist only to attempt to make the child smile. The one thing the brain does manage in these circumstances is keeping the woman from responding to the child in an inappropriate manner that may alarm the child’s parents, such as picking them up and holding them if the child is a stranger.

Lungs

The lungs take in more breath in cases where a child is present, as a way of helping the mouth with its cooing noises and higher pitched speaking.

 

Legs

A woman may respond to the presence of a child by bending her knees so as to be closer to their eye level, or walking toward them to get a closer look and some possible interaction. In extreme cases the woman may mimic the child with her legs and embarrass herself by crawling with them along the floor.

 

Mouth

Small children cause an ample increase in the amount of smiling done by the woman who is near them. Children often are on the receiving end of incomprehensible cooing noises, presumably made to get a happy sort of reaction.

 

Heart

Though the actual anatomical heart continues its normal functions, there is a peculiar joy literally felt in the chest where the heart sits when the woman interacts with a small child. Similarly, when the child leaves the heart feels a very real pain. This pain corresponds with the woman being reminded of the reality of her situation, that she does not have claim upon  one of those small people and possibly never will. These feelings are more subtle when the woman does not know the child as well.

Ovaries

When in the same room as a small child, the ovaries gain more control in the body. They become an important organ for thought and function. Their ostensible screams of “GIVE US ONE NOW” overpower other organs. All biological functions exist to appease the woman’s ovaries in these moments.