black and white

black and white
 
reminds me of cookies,
the ones from the kosher bakery
that we eat after shabbat dinner.
my sister doesn’t like the chocolate
half so she breaks the cookie and eats
only the sugary vanilla-iced side.
mom used to cut them into quarters
to make it fair, but we are old enough
that fairness doesn’t matter; we can eat
from the plastic package as many as we want.
i bite mine, leaving a cresent of teeth marks
on a two-tone moon, as i watch tv. law & order
is on.   “it’s a black and white thing,” says
the black music agent character accused of murder.
the plot will twist and the white jeweler will be guilty
and in the last scene, sam waterhouse will take a drink
and say “maybe he’s right.” i finish my cookie.