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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Goodbye Trusted Wall Clock

The damn clock broke
as I tried to rehang it.
Now I’m pissed off
because I liked that clock,
especially its reassuring
tick-tock, tick-tock.

That clock was with me
through some dark and lonely times.
When I glanced at the movement
I felt reassured by indisputable evidence
of the passage of time,
from dark night to new day.

Now I can see the passing time
in everything else around me,
especially in the mirror.
But I often felt the change
in the tick-tock of that clock
and within my beating heart.

Sigh…
I know I’m a better person,
than when I first hung that clock.