Black & White

a poem about contrast & harmony

How could there be black without white, 
just like there cannot be day without night?
and just like (as silly as it may seem) 
coffee’s incomplete without a touch of cream, 
salt is saltier in the presence of pepper, 
and vanilla and chocolate are better together! 

Nowhere can be found a better pair
than what black and white together share:
velvet and pearls, or paper and ink, 
or full moon and night sky contrast in sync. 
and what combination could give more delight 
than the elemental dance of shadow and light? 

For a bride or a widow, for joy or for mourning,
in yin or in yang, or pirates flag warning, 
and like diamonds form from coal
and sharps and flats give music soul, 
black and white oppose, yet complement—
and neither can exist where the other’s absent.

Old movies and photos full of memory and history, 
tuxedos and records with nostalgia and mystery:
these colors hold volumes of stories unspoken, 
each one a mirror, two sides the same token; 
working in tandem to create depth and dimension, 
showing us the beauty of harmony in tension. 

Photo by Anne Nygård on Unsplash

I found this poem in my archives, written about a year ago, inspired by a theme from an online poetry gathering hosted by my friend Deidre. I thought it deserved a spot here on my Substack!

---