What a Thought Is Not

You are not your thoughts.It is rare that I embrace poetry. As much as I appreciate a well-turned phrase, I’m about as unpoetical as a braying cat on a hot winter’s night. (See what I mean?)

But the poem below managed to catch even my unrefined eye. The author, who I won’t identify, was kind enough to allow me to post it. At first glance, it may appear to be about suppressing or controlling the mind. Much of Western psychology advocates for that. But no, this poem is about something different: accepting what the mind has to offer, without fighting it, and with full understanding that we don’t have to yield to every little thing the mind gives us.

I’m Experiencing a Thought

A thought is not to be feared,
A thought is not your cowardice,
A thought is not your punishment,
A thought is not your endeavor,
A thought is not reality,
A thought is not your existence,
A thought is not your demise,
A thought is not You.

A thought is a flash,
A moment, a cursory notion. 

A thought cannot torment,
A thought cannot impair,
A thought cannot wound,
A thought cannot oppress,
A thought cannot ravage,
A thought cannot contaminate.

Unless you allow a thought
To denigrate, to devastate,
To permeate, to effectuate,
To Become.

You are not 
Your thoughts.

 My posts are typically much longer, but there’s not much I can add to that.