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.
I Close My Eyes and Breathe
Someone,
or something,
stole me away,
sold me a bill of goods,
and silenced my soul.
What day is it?
Saturday – Sunday?
Who cares?
The incessant measuring of our life
has got to stop.
Drip - drop
goes the water into,
and now spilling over,
the bucket I call my life.
I use anger to contain
the reservoir of my sadness.
These words become the spillways
holding
me all together.
There are no maps
and no clear instructions.
If I go,
and I must go,
I will leave
not heeding the warnings,
no protection – no way back,
and no assurances
I will find what’s needed
to carry me home.
I close my eyes.
I close my eyes and breathe,
expecting to hear the next line –
words
to push me out the door.
Instead I am eerily silent
and strangely patient.
My soul is waiting and ready.
My breath is shallow.