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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Pure Fury

...is extinguished by pure love.

Love
brought me into this world,
but anger built me up
and kindled a righteous fury
which eventually burned me
right down to my ground.

I remember the night
when the fire went out
and waking the next morning
standing on the shore
of Rumi’s prophesied ocean
called non-existence.

Oh,
how it hollowed my soul
and took my breath away,
as I began to realize
my life until this moment
had culminated in emptiness!

I shuddered,
realizing my next breath
could be a prayer for peace
or the spark of a new inferno,
and the only way across this ocean
would be to learn how
to breathe beneath it.

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