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.

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.

← All poems

Will to Live

It’s what’s inside.

There are many gifts
strewn along the road
some call longevity.
Yet what we carry inside
becomes more important
than all those things
found along the way.

The old-timers would sing
about a flame in the eye
and gravel in the gut.
What they were referring to
is that indomitable will to live.

The will to live.
The will to live.

So I pray for courage
to welcome each new day
as if it was the first
and the very last
of my one precious life.

Published in