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.
Browse the Twelve Volumes
Brian’s collected pieces, volume by volume.
Good News, I Guess
I am not the menace I once was
to you or to anyone else.
I am softened.
I am chastened.
I am worn out.
My defanging and declawing
was spectacular to no one.
I was hunted day and night
by an ordinary life
just waiting for the perfect moment.
It came suddenly
as all perfect moments do.
My ladder to nowhere just broke
and I fell onto a small clod of Earth.
And as I lay there stunned,
alone in the mud,
the thread of my being
mysteriously became lighter,
both for me to bear
and for others to encounter.