Almost Happy

Larry Wolf, Spring (2024)

Hampir

Hampir, the Indonesian for almost, only a letter away from vampir -- the bloodsucking demon.

What does it mean to be happy? Also, what does it mean to be almost happy?

To almost get in, to be almost accepted, to be almost there, but, at the same time, to be not there/accepted/in.

So, in a world where we celebrate disneyfied heterosexualities, for queer folks, what is happiness?

Often, it becomes the bloodsucking demon, the vampir, the hampir.

Happy Stories, Mostly

Norman Erikson Pasaribu

Translated by Tiffany Tsao

The Feminist Press