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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Browse the Twelve Volumes
Brian’s collected pieces, volume by volume.
Techadores
Not yet 8am and
the damn roofers are here!
They’re scraping off the old shingles,
looking for rotted plywood,
making sure the cheap pine construction lasts another year.
It’s an easy job for them.
These buildings are accessible
and the roofs are very simple.
I hear Spanish and lots of thumping.
A ladder falls sideways to the ground.
Next a string of unintelligible expletives...
An unseen worker on the roof drags a blue tarp across my window.
Suddenly my apartment becomes a dusky blue.
So I finish this poem by lamplight.