Light and Its Absence
by Jan Mariet
Sometimes we imagine the world in black and white,
as if life must choose one way or the other.
We tell ourselves we are desolate
or we are full of hope, but never both at once.
Yet the truth is gray. Our fears, our longings,
our thoughts that double back on themselves;
they live side by side, never asking permission.
To be human is to carry contradictions,
to hold unity in pieces that do not match
and yet belong together.
Don’t you see?
I can be okay and still need support.
I can be helpful and still say no.
I can be good and still make mistakes.
I can yearn for growth and tremble at change.
I can lift my eyes in hope and still question tomorrow.
I can care fiercely and still guard my boundaries.
I can be independent and still receive help with gratitude.
I am not required
to choose one side of myself
and banish the other.
I am the paradox,
the living proof that light and its absence
can inhabit the same sky.
Written by Jan Mariet 10/20/2025
