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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Gentle Accounting

It’s time for me
to take a gentle accounting
of all the little debits and credits,
impossible to quantify,
but which nevertheless
add up to my life.

You say, “Why bother?”
And I’m inclined to agree.
Who would want to revisit
their existential facts and figures?
But it’s not only the good memories
or the collection of milestone moments
which persuade my subconscious
to inhale each next new breath.

At the bottom of my balance sheet
is a number no one can read or comprehend.
It is revealed to me only briefly,
and must go back in the vault
so I won’t forever focus
on changing my bottom line,
or on making my life
as abstract as any number.

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