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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Compulsion

...and some persuasion.

I do
you do
he does
she does
we all do
what it is
everyone does
day after day
night after night
sun up
‘til sundown
from season to season
nine to five
twenty-four seven
forty–sixty–eighty
one hundred sixty eight
hours a week
through wind and rain
through sun and snow
uphill both ways
head up
head down
nose to the ground
burning the midnight oil
up at the crack of dawn
until the end of time
and whatever other rotten cliché
you can remember.

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