zero is a number

Darkness does not miss the Light when it is gone

there is no need for longing or searching

no need for regret

Madness does not miss Sanity when he is gone

there is no hero’s journey, no threshold to pass

no mastery of both worlds in store

what is Darkness, truly, but the absence of Light

what is Madness, truly, if not the absence of Sanity

and in absence, there is still the important reality of each factor having a place

zero holds no value

yet, it is a number

the beautiful thing about it all, this wild, savage dance of life, love, and loss

is that everything has a part to play

a placeholder, a reminder, a million memories, a tragedy

just as one side of the see-saw must fall for the other to rise

Darkness does not miss the Light when it is gone

it rises to claim the land, like a teen pressing his lips to the same straw of a crush

eager to be where his love is

eager to hold, to cherish, all that they share

Madness does not miss Sanity when he is gone

because he is always with her,

always the other side of the same coin

just as much her as she is, if not more so

and sometimes that has to be enough