Brian’sPoems

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.

← All poems

Impermanence

...is a guarantee.

Just because that rock
has sat on the ledge
for a million years
does not guarantee
it’ll be there tomorrow.

And just because
people know your name
does not guarantee
you’ll be remembered.

The hermit crab rents his shell
no longer than a day or two,
and the snake sheds her skin
when it’s time for her to grow.
Yet we go into our homes
and quickly allow the walls
to harden all around us.

There is no unit of permanency
because there is no permanency.
We’re all gifted a lifetime,
and likely the next time around
we’ll be completely different.

Published in