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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Math

The math has finally turned against me,
not that it was ever for me,
but it once seemed a little friendlier
when it lived in my textbook,
and even when it leapt onto the calculator
I kept zipped in my backpack.

Now the math is everywhere.
I might call it a religion,
though it may be bigger than that.
Maybe I should just call it too big to fail,
despite its failure as a belief.

For years the math worked deceptively,
and I was glad for it to do my heavy lifting.
But now the tables have turned
and all the columns are shifted.
Today nothing seems so empty as an algorithm,
even as it delivers convenience to my doorstep.

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