The Gender Order In Norrbotten
Out on my training round on skis
in the forest country,
I hear two snowmobiles
coming up behind me,
soon catching me
I step aside into the deep snow
to let them pass,
but they stop,
and the riders lift their visors
It’s my neighbours –
two middle-aged men:
Neighbour A, a hunter, with dogs
back in the dog yard,
and Neighbour B,
who works in security
at Stegra’s construction site in Boden
We quickly fall into
lively talk
They’ve been to a Saturday meet
in Forshed – quite far away –
a traditional snowmobile gathering
with bowls of pea soup
We haven’t seen each other in a while,
and words spill and swirl,
cheerful, neighbourly
I pull off my ski mask,
out of politeness,
while already feeling
I’ll soon have to break away –
standing there getting cold
Neighbour B says
that after an accident
because of the injuries
he’s had to temporarily reduce
his testosterone production,
and Neighbour A replies, grinning wide,
that Neighbour B has started watering houseplants
and hanging out the laundry
Poetry by Ingvar Loco Nordin
Written on 2026-02-21 at 17:28
Save as a bookmark (requires login) Write a comment (requires login) Send as email (requires login) Print text
