Two short lines, and a whole scene: someone sits up late with a piece of paper, and the night seems to look back. The title, "Dark thoughts," sets the tone. The speaker isn't just writing in the dark; they're dealing with something heavy, and the poem suggests the page becomes the place where it shows up.
The key moment is "we meet on both sides." It's a little ambiguous, which is what makes it interesting. "We" could mean the speaker and the night, or the speaker and their own gloomy thoughts, each facing the other across the paper. "Both sides" might mean the front and back of the sheet, or simply that the encounter is complete, with nowhere to turn away. Judging by the wording, the speaker doesn't seem to flee. There's an odd calm in the meeting, almost like an acknowledgment.
The mood is quiet, solitary and a bit uneasy, but not panicked. The poem's brevity leaves the reader sitting in the same stillness.