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.

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Knowing

How reassuring it would be for me
to know how this world ends,
to bear witness,
to be the dispassionate observer
recording the great event for all of history.

Earlier generations of men and women knew
their inextricable, participatory role in life.
They had no awareness of being anything other
than of this Earth.
They knew the planets by name,
and were related to the gods living among them.

How well do I know my neighbors,
let alone the person I see in the mirror?
So often I forget that I am about life.
I believe Homer knew the story of Odysseus
because he had lived his own odyssey.

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