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.

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.

← All poems

For Some Reason

...still beyond my comprehension.

When I was struggling,
really suffering,
unable to find meaning,
any meaning at all
for the sad story
my extraordinary life
had suddenly become,
almost inevitably
someone would tell me:
Things happen for a reason.

Then I would seethe silently,
fantasizing about slapping
those silly little words
right out of their mouth.

Yet significant time has passed,
and by sitting right in the pain
I once believed would consume me,
it eventually became only a tickle.

So yes I would now echo:
Things do happen for a reason.
(But don’t ever expect
you’ll always understand them.)

Published in