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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It's so Easy

...to solve others’ problems.

I should know,
I did it all the time.

I mean I provided solutions
others could use or discard.
It was really up to them
to take my good advice.

Fixer, pundit, diagnostician,
these have been my roles for years,
and I was trained into them
by the finest practitioners.

It was an easy life,
though boring and repetitive.
Then came the day I had to resign,
as I was overcome by uncertainty.

You’ve probably heard:
To solve others’ problems,
you have to know them better
than they know themselves,
and be certain this world
is at your control.