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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Hope

I was once full of hope,
but it was a hope so hollow
it got easily crushed
beneath the boot of hard times
and angry feelings.

I thought I could buy or elect hope,
yet it turns out hope’s not for sale
no matter how pure of heart the seller,
or how desperately hope is needed.

Hope groans from deep within
and struggles to stand on its own.
It creeps into the hearts of the broken,
and it sounds like an old man weeping.

You’ll know that you’ve found
hope alive in your heart
when you begin to see each day like a child—
the continuous, never-ending story,
of your tiny life within infinite possibility.