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 Voice

Sometimes I grow tired of my own voice,
not the one you hear,
the one deep inside.

That voice is sometimes hard and unforgiving,
urging me forever this way or that,
relentlessly seeking for me the perfect life:
free from want,
free from pain.

Me and that voice,
we never get there,
to that imaginary clearing
where the grass is always green,
the breeze gentle,
and the sun forever shining.

We just grind along
the way we always have.
Though more and more I pause
and just feeling my own breath,
I know that voice is not me.