Sonnet Composed of 13 Aphorisms

Death is the precondition of our birth.
   Nothing’s more holy than a man who sins.
We always let the worthless judge our worth.
   Don’t ever trust someone who always wins.
Those who have everything are never whole.
   In every jewel, the flaw is what attracts.
The things you fear become your heart and soul.
   One well-told lie is truer than ten facts.
Like many disappointments, life’s a pleasure.
   The ones who grade you never took the test.
All hearts look shallow when depth is the measure.
   Propriety’s the vice of the repressed.
      Rich, powerful, weak, ignorant, poor, clever:
      Only names writ in water live forever.

Copyright 2011 Matthew J Wells