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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Primordial Hunger

Looking back to a time before time.

Hunger brings the crocodile
down and into the water.
Hunger brings me out of my head,
down and into my heart and gut
where I can feel and taste
the gritty reality of my life.

The crocodile lies patiently
in the thick, primordial muck,
and is seemingly unaware
of the existential threat
posed to him by human thought.

Yet within his scaly being
is a truth beyond comprehension,
about the age of the oceans
and the futility of doing anything
beyond what this moment demands.

So my prayer this morning
is to the creator of the crocodile,
that day by day I may return
to the essence of my being,
alive and deeply rooted
in the wisdom of the Earth.

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