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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Browse the Twelve Volumes
Brian’s collected pieces, volume by volume.
No Turning Back
The road leads me everywhere,
past the trees
into the desert
back to the sea.
The road well-worn but unpaved,
mile after interesting mile,
I get stuck in mud.
Or I must stop to empty gravel from my shoe.
I pass strangers,
some kind,
some carrying even more than I.
The road has no signs, no markers.
There is no sense of urgency,
no shortcut,
but plenty of roadside diversions
buzzing with activity,
tantalizing the senses,
urging me to indulge my hunger.
The road is my constant.
Though I am changed,
when I am lost, struggling to let go,
without judgment, it shows me the way
and the wind whispers, “No turning back.”