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.
Browse the Twelve Volumes
Brian’s collected pieces, volume by volume.
A Personal Blessing
Sharpen your knife.
This is a blessing.
There will be blood and
there will be beauty.
You know the tender spots.
Your anger is only the outer layer.
Place your knife perpendicular
on the very thickest skin
and then push down.
Feel the blade penetrate
your anger,
your sadness,
all the places where you
feel powerless and hopeless.
Beneath the sediment of your life
is the eternal beauty
at the core of your being.
You must cut a pathway
and do a little bloodletting
to liberate your soul.
Draw out the knife.
Notice that where you are wounded
your light and your life
are spilling out.