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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Go to the Wilderness Within

God may be calling you
to the wilderness,
and not to the hilltop,
or to the odd-numbered floor
of a tower in Manhattan.

Do not doubt the truth
your salary demands you forget.
There is a robber’s feast in the shadows,
but nothing that would nourish you
like the light.

Only someone who hasn’t felt his smallness
would seek refuge in walled abundance,
with its easy orgasms
and echoing mirrors of narcissism.

Go to the wilderness within and without.
Travel deep into your heart of darkness.
Feel the presence of God
in the prickly fingers of your creeping fears.
Let the current of love
carry you deeper into your soul.