4 Poems by Eric G. Müller

Dawn, Dusk, Night, Day
 
Dawn’s waking moment
lets fingers fondle locks
while dreams cling to hair –
weight of day’s work lies ahead
she sighs and furrows her face

Dusk looks down, knowing
too much work is left undone
which he’s learned to bear –
fatigue shows in his many trials
chiseled deep into his beard

Night in naked sleep
births an owl between her legs
ignores the fright mask
that lies empty to her left
while wisdom stares wide awake

Day twists like a snake
from the pain of his failures
and those still to come –
puzzled eyes pierce the distance
where


Haze

The first day I looked left
along the beach at sunset
I could see the mountains
rise up dark and clear
from the sea.

Each subsequent day
the haze thickened
and the sun’s red deepened
while the mountains
lost their might,

until they were utterly gone
and the sun looked like Jupiter.

It’s only a haze,
that alters things.


Figs, Oaks and Olives

Branches and leaves of
Figs, oaks and olives
Dip toward me,

Stirring vague old
Stories, while
Gusts of swallows

Swirl with the
Shade-swaying breeze
And the cicada chant,

Folding time
So that the tips of
An opaque past

And a sleepy new
Now
Touch perfectly.


In the Way

We’re often in the way
of one another
blocking the flow
like rocks in a river

Often we’re in the way
of ourselves
caught in the current
smashing rocks in a flood

The way to the other
is often through
the flow of minds
across stepping stones

To make way
for others
and ourselves
is to be a rock
or a river
depending on
the need
of the moment


Bionote

Eric G. Müller is a musician, teacher and writer living in upstate New York.  He has written two novels, Rites of Rock (Adonis Press 2005) and Meet Me at the Met (Plain View Press, 2010), as well as a collection of poetry, Coffee on the Piano for You (Adonis Press, 2008).  Articles, short stories and poetry have appeared in many journals and magazines. www.ericgmuller.com  memuller@fairpoint.net