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.
Humility (and Grace)
Humility is a steaming pile of shit
on a bitter cold morning.
It’s the day after day of waking
to a life of pain and confusion.
It’s the leaky faucet, the missed phone call, the dead end job.
It’s the screaming baby, the tone-deaf in-laws,
and the realization there’s nowhere to turn.
Then comes the moment you fall down
right where you are,
bury your face in your hands,
squeeze out a few tears,
pausing for however long it takes.
Stumbling...
Crumbling...
Bumbling...
Crawling around on your knees,
humility the only means of standing up,
towards letting go of whatever you’re holding,
not acting as if nothing has happened.
Real transformation requires humility,
the ability to reach out to others in our nakedness,
to ask them for help,
so that we may take our seat at the table,
in communion with love,
with life,
with God.