Black And White Poem by David Self

I see life in black and white,
not because I cannot see the grey,
but because the grey asks me to bend
where my heart refuses.
A promise is kept, or it isn't.
The truth is spoken, or it's not.
Kindness is given, or withheld.
Some things do not change shape
just because the world prefers softer edges.
People tell me life is complicated,
painted in countless shades between.
Maybe they're right.
But I have watched too many lines blur
until excuses dressed themselves as reasons.
So I keep my colors simple.
Not because I am blind to nuance,
but because I need something solid
in a world that shifts beneath my feet.
Black and white.
Wrong and right.
Loyal or disloyal.
Honest or dishonest.
And though the world may call it rigid,
I call it clarity.
Because when everything else fades,
I would rather stand with a difficult truth
than lose myself
in a comfortable grey.