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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Now Is the Hour

She says she’s not ready
to let him go,
her sweet little dog,
her baby boy.

I heave a sigh.
I don’t want to let him go either.
And for just a moment
I doubt what I see unfolding.

This is death,
but not coming all at once
in a fierce instant.
Death leaves me baffled
as it comes closer,
then recedes into the shadows.

There’s plenty of pills
to stave off the pain.
And words rush to my lips,
but I don’t dare speak them.

Now is the hour
for us to sit with death.
Now is the hour
for us to hold the tension,
and to take the pain,
so the pain won’t take us.

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