I first heard of Misuzu Kaneko during the tsunami that devastated the north-east coast of Japan in 2011. One of her poems, written 90 years earlier, was being broadcast on TV in place of commercials. That poem was called "Are You An Echo?" and apparently inspired a call-to-action for nearly one million volunteers. 

Kaneko's life was brief and ended by her own hand in her mid-twenties. She was locked in an unhappy marriage with a pretty awful man. Before her death she was able to write hundreds of short poems, all for children, though as for that, they resonate with adults too. Her themes echo classic Japanese ones such as the impermanence of things, the beauty of that which must fade. She also took on the part of animals and plants, imagining their thoughts and inner life. There is a gentleness about her writing, a knack for observation and a capacity to put into words what most can only feel, but rarely articulate. Here is one of them.

Big Catch

At sunrise, glorious sunrise,

it's a big catch!

A big catch of sardines!

On the beach, it's like a festival

but in the sea, they will hold

funerals

for the tens of thousands dead.