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.

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A Thousand Days Off

Wouldn’t that be wonderful?

When there are no days off
there are only days on,
and no opportunity to cease our thinking.
Thus everyone must become a thief
in order to steal just a few
precious moments for being.

My friends,
life may be difficult,
yet it is much easier when
we live our lives naked,
in absolute vulnerability
and sober awareness,
rather than traveling mindlessly
on a road leading nowhere.

Our task is to become broken,
to take a thousand days off
and purge from our bodies and souls
that dark bile called fear,
which we cultivate
through our endless toil.

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