Juxtaposition Poem by Leila Ired

They say,
between black and white there is gray in choices
perhaps brown or mulatto or mestizo in people

They say,
two wrongs can make a right
that atrocity must be answered with another

They say, when the ears hear them clearly,
that the soul is caught between two worlds
eye for eye, tooth for tooth

They say, when the edge is near,
yes! choose a side
so only one bomb will strike you

They say,
their words are the mind's thoughts
but then why do they ring so falsely?

why does the beating heart scream to the throbbing brain
no! do not choose
but die twice, before forgetting
that the line between black and white is not gray
but golden

If they say,
beware the calm that comes before the storm,
then I, I say that the silence in my heart is no calm,
but harmony.