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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What They Told Me

She says,
You can’t go around God.
I laugh.
These words don’t frighten me
quite so much these days.
Perhaps it’s because I’ve grown weary.
Banging his head against a wall
will eventually drive a man insane
or bring him to his knees.

One of my brothers shrugs and says,
If you’re green you’re growing,
and if you’re ripe you’re rotting.
I peer into his surrendered gaze
and feel a real kinship
with my fellow journeyman.

Her words,
his words,
they touch me,
then pull me forward
into a mystical understanding.