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.

Search tips

Search by title, first line, poem text, book, or type — results appear as you type. Look inside the poems for any word or line, or wrap a phrase in "quotes" to find it exactly. Use the chips and the book menu to narrow things down.

← All poems

Responsibility

...sits where I sit.

My father taught me
my life is about responsibility,
a commitment unto death.

Now you know why
I’m always so serious,
and not one of those poets
who revels in drunkenness
while dancing at Carnival
in the streets of Rio.

I’ve tried and tried,
but could never get
far enough away from
the very real burden
of my responsibilities.

Here where I am
my responsibility sits,
not having moved an inch
since I was ten years old.
Like my breath it grows
then shrinks in size.
I try to make peace with it
by becoming softer.

Published in