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

Slow Shutter Camera

It takes long exposures.

I grab my seat
inhale deeply
and begin blinking
in slow rhythm
with my breath.

Gently I wake to see
the speed of this world
from a more leisurely
dimension of existence.

Would you ever believe
I panic when I slow down?
The idea of stopping
seems like certain death.
A still ship floats
at the mercy of the sea.

Perpetual motion
is as untenable
as it is undeniable.
The universe is forever
inhaling and exhaling.
Yet only in a peaceful state
can I take rapt notice
of this giant movement.

If not for those reasons
my life came to a pause,
I would not have known
meditation stills motion,
and the heavy burden of being
can at times be put aside
by seeing my life through
a slow shutter camera.

Published in