Citizens of mind

Beyond towns, cities and nations,
we are citizens of our minds.
Here we live, imagine, speculate & interpret,
words, gestures, actions and reactions.
Visiting our mind’s rooms often,
with memories or hopes.
Positive thoughts are fleeting,
but negative ones flow easier.
I wonder why.
An unkind word can hurt for long,
an abrupt behavior can pain prolong.
Wounds by loved ones are the worst,
unreciprocated love troubles most.
No easy solution or remedy of sorts,
thoughts are an uncontrollable lot.
How do I train my mind
not to stray with thoughts unkind?
Some say meditate, others say act;
don’t let your mind become a trap.
Still others suggest ignore.
Do not speculate and store.
All noble and worthy suggestions,
that I want to turn into actions.
A wayward mind is the worst master;
a scrambled place of dark disaster.
Above all else I hope to find
serenity within my mind.

Shalini Kathuria Narang is a Silicon Valley-based software professional and a freelance journalist. She has reported for national and international newspapers, magazines and news sites. Her poems have been published in several anthologies. She is a monthly contributor to Masticadores USA and has been published in Spillwords Press and San Antonio Review. She is originally from New Delhi , India and has settled in the Bay Area with her husband and two daughters for 25+ years.