Sonnet: You Can’t Have Both Poem by Dr John Celes

You can’t serve powers, God and the devil;
You can’t do things sinful and which is good;
You can’t be both, a good man and evil;
You can’t eat poison as your normal food.

You can’t read both the filth and the scripture;
You can’t be both beautiful and ugly;
You can’t have both a good and bad nature;
You can’t be both unholy and holy.

If you can’t be both a saint and a bad one;
You can’t be both law-abiding and rogue;
You can’t have both the night as well as sun;
You can’t have things in use, yet out of vogue.

You can’t have Hell’s fire and a haven;
You can’t praise devils and enter Heaven.

6-15-2001