From the first few lines of A Tale Of Two Cities to Paradise Lost, juxtaposition has always been a prevalent literary device in literature. There's something oddly fascinating about placing two contrasting elements together and showcasing the stark differences between them.

Juxtaposition works because by putting two contrasting ideas next to each other, it helps to bring about the importance and specific qualities of each one. Since they represent opposite ideals, putting them in the same venue highlights their differences. Basically, juxtaposition is a big supporter of the phrase "opposites attract."

This week, you have to write a poem with a contrasting pair of elements or ideas, coming together in some way or form. Examples of such contrasting elements include: "Light and Dark", "Love and Hate", "Salt and Sugar" etc.

Some poems which include juxtaposition are: "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou, "The Waste Land" by T.S. Elliot, and "Do not Go Gentle into that Good Night" by Dylan Thomas.

Whether you choose to use the pair of elements as metaphors or stay true to their real meaning is completely up to you.

We challenge you to write a piece that both highlights the contrasting concepts, and shows how they function together. 

Criteria:

The poem can be in any format, including free verse.

The poem should be based on the prompt (but we always welcome artistic interpretation).

There is no required word-count (but we hope to be sensible).

Make sure that your poem isn't mature and follows all the Wattpad Content Guidelines.

To Enter:

In-line comment on this paragraph with the title of your poem, the book it's in, and the link to the story.

Submissions must be stand-alone and not require further reading.

In your entry, you should mention W5 Poetry: Yin and Yang and tag @CommunityInteractive. This is how we make sure that we've found the correct page for the entry.

Submission closing date is 24 th May, and Results will be posted a week after Submissions close.

This is to ensure that we have sufficient entries before the judging period begins.

Prizes:

The three selected winners will receive a shout-out and a detailed review about why we liked their poem.

Final Note:

We encourage you to read other submissions and interact with other entrants. We have a lovely community and would love for you to be a part of it.

If you have friends you think would like to participate, we'd appreciate you letting them know about us.

We wish you well, and hope to see your poems soon!

-The CommunityInteractive Team