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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All the Rage

What the cool kids are doing.

Here it comes,
up through the vein
at the side of my throat.

It coalesces,
bright red, bulging
right above my temple.

My eyes are bloodshot,
teeth clenched,
and I cannot speak
without spraying spittle.

This is my rage,
and it grows strong
unchecked and undefined.
It simmers in injustice,
finding fertile ground
in frightened children
and fallen men.

Rage first
devours the raging,
then strikes indiscriminately
at those indifferent to it.

Rage seeks rage,
confronts rage,
befriends rage,
feeds rage,
needs more rage
to sustain itself.

I cannot defeat rage
with outrage.
Rage needs time
to simmer down,
to see itself,
to encounter love,
to ask for and offer
forgiveness.

Rage comes in
through the head,
then goes out
through the heart.

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