Subject: structure of carbon monoxide and how it balances charges

I've got a dilemma involving carbon monoxide. Most elements will not 
combine with others unless they can achieve stabe status (such as 
carbon dioxide) or form a radical (such as carbonate), so what does 
carbon monoxide do to overcome this problem? It's charges don't 
balance, and it has no total valency charge, so is it's structural 
formula more complex than just a C-O situation, of is it just a freak? 
Please could you tell me why carbon and oxygen combine in this way? 

Re: structure of carbon monoxide and how it balances charges