A.R. Ammons wrote a poem without metaphor, without rhyme, without allusions: One can't have it both ways and both ways is the only way I want it. It's a poem about ambivalence. The speaker both would, and wouldn't, like a certain thing. The speaker acknowledges this, and also admits that conflicting desires make for an uncomfortable situation. ("One can't have it both ways.") I think this is a funny poem, and I think it's funny because of the word "and." We're *not* reading this sentence: "One can't have it both ways, but both ways is the only way I want it." We're *not* reading this sentence: "One can't have it both ways, and yet both ways is the only way I want it." Ammons doesn't give us a comma, and his choice of conjunction doesn't underline or spell out the fact that the two halves of the poem are in tension (a "but" would accomplish that). By leaving...