I'm not big into the holidays, especially not this year. However, a package from my mom arrived today from the old country, and inside was a special Christmas issue of my all-time favorite Norwegian comic, Nemi, by Lise Myhre. Inside was also a poem by the late poet, Inger Hagerup (another favorite of mine) and her dark, moody poem, "Nattmusikk" ("Night Music"). In translation (instant-translation by yours truly) it would go something like this:
Night Music
The black angst
ascended from the deep.
I stood alone
and saw myself
and felt the pull
toward defeat:
You are from the abyss
after all.
-Inger Hagerup
Depressing? Actually, receiving this comic brightened my day! Nemi is not depressing, even though she is a goth-girl with a dark and brooding side. Nemi is one of Norway's most popular comics, "everybody" reads it, and mostly for its humor. There is a Nemi in us all, or if not, I am sure we all know somebody like her. Thanks mom, for your package! :-)
