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.

Search tips

Search by title, first line, poem text, book, or type — results appear as you type. Look inside the poems for any word or line, or wrap a phrase in "quotes" to find it exactly. Use the chips and the book menu to narrow things down.


What I Want to Be

I am a poet -
fanciful artist
somber fashion plate
decorator of emotions
false prophet
good friend
forlorn lover
preventer of forest fires.

I speak with an accent.
I write with a culture bias.
I have a penis.
But I don’t forget a woman gave birth to me.

What I want to be
is genuine -
to love and to cherish my life,
to author life in others,
and as I fall asleep,
to be held in her arms
assured God loves me.