The Poem of the Month (July, 2010): IT'S ALL IN THE MIND

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"The Mind"

Graphics (Toronto: July 15, 2010) © Jerome D'Costa

It's All in the Mind

By Jerome D'Costa

It's all in the mind,
Whatever we do.
Loving others, being compassionate to others,
Hating others, or killing others.

The mind is the incubator,

The turbine that the mind is.
It makes us do

Whatever we do.

The 'Seven Capital Sins' --

Wrath (anger), greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy and gluttony --
Happen first in the mind,
Later to be materialized by one's actions.

Racism, apartheid, caste system, domestic violence,
War, genocide, Nazism, fascism, and the like,

Find their germination

In the mind of men and women.

Then they wreak havoc on others.

All goodness, all that is holy and pure
Also happen in the mind.
Then it is nurtured and strengthened

Through practice and action.

Mens sana in corpore sano,

The Latin proverb says it aptly: "Healthy mind in healthy body."
Balanced and disciplined mind
Can produce a balanced personality,
Which, in turn, can help
Produce a balanced society,

A disciplined country and, finally, a peaceful world.