Chapter 3
dawn comes, a new day
the rooster crows false greeting
ere it flies away
I didn’t sleep. Too many thoughts. Too much anger touched with an overabundance of sadness, loneliness. I’d written a haiku for each emotion as it tore through my head but the verses had offered no relief. Frustrated, I’d burned them all with a flick of my hand before giving up on creativity, on sleep, and sitting seiza before the one-way glass. Buttocks resting comfortably on heels, I bowed my head in prayer and entered into a long string of prayer. I chose the ancient metta bhavana mantras: compassion for my loved ones, compassion for my enemies, compassion for myself.
This last one was a real sticking point.
How often had I blamed myself for Jonah’s problems? How many times had I been the one to rea
