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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Browse the Twelve Volumes
Brian’s collected pieces, volume by volume.
Don't Tighten the Screws
Don’t tighten the screws too much.
It’s one of the first things
learned in a building trade.
Though our lives may feel
like an eternal repair job,
endlessly putting things together
and fastening them in place,
just don’t forget
to keep the screws a hair loose.
We need that bit of play,
the flexibility to shift,
to expand or contract
in the hot and cold.
And we may need
to take it all apart again.
God knows,
I’ve broken so many things
by twisting the screws
a turn too far.