Urban Volcano

Fiction by Börkur Sigurbjörnsson

Poetry

Points of Reference

She reaches the top of the hill
and eyes the exotic glow
of untouched nature below.

He reaches the top of the stairs
and admires the alien view
of an active big-city so new.

She stares at the summits
surrounding the valley there,
like a train of towers
around a town square.

He surveys the skyscrapers
surrounding the alley,
like a procession of peaks
around a pristine valley.

She regards the bulging river
running through the plain,
like a crowd of commuters
crossing the platform for the train.

He follows the flock of people
flowing through the street,
like a roaring river
running down a steep.

They are separated
by hemispheres, oceans and continents,
by experiences, views and perspectives.

They are united by feeling alone
in an alien scene away from home.

Börkur is an avid storyteller with a keen eye for quirky characters, funny dialogs and vivid scenario descriptions. Much of his writing falls within the genre of realistic fiction and his stories are more often than not based on real events in the author’s life. Although the tales contain grains of truth, they are melded with fiction, making the reader curious to know the line between reality and fantasy.