Brian’sPoems

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.

Search tips

Search by title, first line, poem text, book, or type — results appear as you type. Look inside the poems for any word or line, or wrap a phrase in "quotes" to find it exactly. Use the chips and the book menu to narrow things down.

← All poems

A Good Night's Sleep

I guess there’s gotta be
some kind of baseline
if we’re gonna live in cities
packed like sardines,
while surveilled by technology
which makes it impossible to fart
without everyone knowing our business.

We can do ourselves a favor
and let people be
whoever they want to be,
to love anyone they wish to love,
and to quit turning everything
into a silly contest
or an economic opportunity
which benefits no one
but the short-term profiteers.

I’ll bet a lot of pain
can be easily soothed
by offering everyone
a comfortable and private place
to get a good night’s sleep.

Published in