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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To Be an X

What’s in a generation?

Everyone enters this world
in a generation of one
or of one hundred million.

My generation is called X.
We’re like the card burned
before dealing a hand
of Texas Hold ‘em.

To be an X means
being squeezed between
two much larger generations:
the Boomers and the Millennials.

To be an X means
arriving at the beginning
of a crumbling world order,
still fully invested in it.

To be an X means
owning a healthy skepticism,
yet unable to avoid feeling
depressed and hopeless.

To be an X means realizing
we’re gonna be all right,
even though we must let go
of our youthful expectations.

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