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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Film Noir

The old drunk tells me,
“I’m not the same person after one drink,
than when I’ve had none,”
explaining why he can never stop
at his promised one drink.

I know exactly what he means.
Time and experience soon touches us all,
but one drink or any mixture of tonics
causes a swift and sudden alchemy
followed by a predictable unpredictability.

The silent monster from Nosferatu
comes to mind in this context,
as do the helpless souls with wild eyes
in Reefer Madness.
Film noir paints these clear distinctions
to our varied states of mind
in the stark contrast of light and shadow,
and even of right and wrong.

But living the anachronism
of who we really are
from one drink to the next,
from one moment to another,
is the very essence
of a human life.

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