A Tale for the Time Being

by Ruth Ozeki

And soon there was no difference between me and the mosquitoes. My skin was no longer a wall that separated us, and my blood was their blood.

Jiko says that everything has a spirit, even if it is old and useless, and we must console and honor the things that have served us well.

Five strokes. Sei. Ikiru. To live.

Form is emptiness and emptiness is form.