North
Slow as sperm whales
we glide through the gloom
which is white
here on the heath
It holds fast to its own
conceding only
one post at a time
For an instant they flash
on the side of the road
like the little girl’s matches
in the fairytale
lighting us
until we return
to the hole in the ice
to breathe
by Gerður Kristný
Translation: Victoria Cribb
From: Höggstaður
Publisher: Mál og menning, Reykjavik, 2007