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.
Belonging
The world is enormous.
It took me less than a day on the road
to be reminded.
I glide over hills and into valleys
the highway an endless, unbroken path
of dashed lines and painted signs.
I belittle the distances
even as I catapult further into the abyss.
Three days are gone.
The road is the same.
The trucks are the same.
The diesel rumble is the same.
The stores and businesses are the same.
The food is the same.
The questions are the same.
I am the same.
The people are a little different,
otherwise, they’re just like me.
They are me.
They drive like me.
Walk like me.
Eat like me.
Rely on their phones like me.
Stop at rest areas like me.
I said hello to a smoker.
He admitted driving was hard for him, just like me.
Eating at Indian Casinos,
camping at KOA,
talkin’ to whoever will talk,
livin’ life closer to the present,
I see that I belong,
somewhere, anywhere, right here.