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.

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The Battlefields

I don’t know experientially
what it’s like to visit a battlefield
shortly after the fighting has ended -
maybe only one or two years past.

No doubt the smoke would be gone
while an eerie stillness yet pervades.
Perhaps a woodpecker would knock,
awakening life back into the dead spaces.

I’ve been to Civil War battlegrounds
and have marveled at their pristine upkeep.
There’s no visible trace of the madness,
nor any lingering stench of the carnage.

Here is where I recognize the time has passed,
in which I might be persuaded to fight,
to point my weapon at another man
with the intent to kill indiscriminately.

Yes, on this battlefield I see myself anew,
perhaps a better man for all of my wounding.
And I wonder, if I was in need of mercy,
would I want to run into myself?

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