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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Winter Comes in Handy

Winter comes in handy
for those days
when morning attacks
both your mind and heart
with so much bad news
your bed seems like the best answer
to all the world’s problems.

On these days,
which sadly come too often,
it helps if the weather outside
is frosty and dark.
It makes going back to sleep easier
and anything else you might do
worthy of papal recognition.

The cold numbs your feelings.
It staunches the blood flowing
from another mass shooting.
It freezes the connections
between head and heart,
between market and justice.

Sometimes it even lays a pretty white blanket
over everything you’d rather not see or feel.