The Collected Writings of Brian J. Mueller
A single poem, met at the right moment, can change a life.
Search and read all 1,834 pieces by Brian J. Mueller — 1,675 poems, 38 prose pieces, and 121 haiku from 12 published volumes. Free to read and share.
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Browse the Twelve Volumes
Brian’s collected pieces, volume by volume.
A Departure
The tanned leather hide
hangs from my wrist,
a woven gift unwillingly, unwittingly
given by a bovine creature.
All the same, the suffering foregone,
the thin, sinewy straps have taken
new life among the hairs of my arms.
Beads woven into the design
add spice to this new life,
and the bamboo shoots, over
time, warped by water, and fall off.
What does it symbolize?
Anything?
Would I trade it for a Rolex?
Probably not - that would be something to worry about
I don’t worry about this.
Like me it simply is.
So I’ll proudly wear it,
let the world change and tear it.