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 Only Way to Get There

...is to go there.

I’m embarrassed
to acknowledge and to admit
to my own suffering.

I’m also often unaware
and subconsciously wanting
to deny my pain.

Why even bother
with something that’s
too soft and sad,
mostly indescribable,
without reason,
self-inflicted,
unresolved
and unfixable?

But now I can see
those spirits who come
calling and urging me
to lean into my pain,
to feel and to understand
its depth and nuances.

I’m told there’s
another side to this pain,
that given the opportunity
it may become a sacred wound
capable of great healing.

But the only way to get there
is to go through it.

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