Mental Occupation

So many things
ask for the mind:
Vanity, pleasure,
fear, envy,
loneliness, hate,
worry.

The world beckons.
News taunts.
Spinning words,
flickering narratives.
Capturing eyes and wallets
A wasteland of lost attention.

Set your thoughts aloft.

Like blossoms opening
in the quietness of morning.
Or like a brook
speaking softly to stone.

Sunlight glistening,
like dewey diamonds
on the grass.

Birds composing
simple harmonies.
Fresh scents
suspended on a gentle breeze.

Fill the mind
with what is true,
noble,
pure,
lovely.

Train the heart upward.

And let the soul rest
in simple elegance.

How precious to me
are your thoughts O God!
How great is the sum of them!