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.
Browse the Twelve Volumes
Brian’s collected pieces, volume by volume.
Shadow Work
When I feel squeezed
by the narrowing of my life
as it folds in around me,
I begin to pray:
Let this not be the end,
but the start of something new.
And when waking up in the dark
becomes my woeful routine,
I pray to remember:
I am like a seedling
straining towards the light.
There is another world
that comes alive at night,
and nothing to fear
in turning towards the dark.
It’s so easy to confuse
the natural patterns of life
with the fear that arises
from peering into our shadow.
I know that I am fading,
when I begin living my life
in the shallowness of this moment,
and I forget the mysterious depths
of wisdom unencumbered
by form or time.