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 Hold a Baby

Sometimes you need to hold a baby.
Of course that’s when there are none around.
So you pick up a cat,
or you pull a dog close,
or maybe someone notices
you just need a hug.

There are plenty of other remedies
to numb our invisible pain
with temporary reassurances.
Caffeine, beer and donuts,
come quickly to mind.
Or maybe it’s tv,
sex and the Internet,
which help with your numbing.

At best,
everything is a quick forgetting
until the next awakening
of existential uncertainty,
when you realize
the most important aspect of life
is to be held in sympathetic resonance
with the Creator of all life,
just as you would hold a baby.

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