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.
Carpe Diem
The clerk at the gas station had carpe diem tattooed on her arm.
She was pleasant,
full of energy,
the kind of clerk you hope to have when you’re in a hurry.
Now this morning the ephemerality of life comes to mind.
It is an indulgent thought,
the kind I can entertain without regret on a sunny day.
I will be none the worse for noticing the passage of time
or for wishing my gut to be ephemeral.
So it is life moves along.
The sky changes color.
The trees change color.
My hair changes color.
And one day someone or something will be standing on the dust that was me.
Carpe diem is a youthful slogan.
It doesn’t mean as much to me in middle age.
It lacks a certain faith and hopefulness for tomorrow.
What is it we wish to seize?
What would you let go if your immortality was assured?