A portrait of Kaneko Misuzu
The early-bird prompt at napowrimo.net (for NaPoWriMo 2025) was to write a portrait poem. I wrote it on the first day of NaPoWriMo, but other urgent things took over and I have to post it on the 2nd on my second blog. Probably you guys have not read it there. :)
pencil sketch by dsnake1, enhanced with Snapseed
A portrait of Kaneko Misuzu
It must be those eyes,
like dark coals
staring into the echoes,
a certain fleeting sadness,
as if she can see
into the future
her later unfortunate life,
that draws me
to the portrait.
"We're all different, and that's just fine"
01/04/2025
**********
Kaneko Misuzu ( 金子 みすゞ), (1903 -1930), was a Japanese poet known for her poetry for children. She was celebrated during her lifetime, but her works fell into obscurity after her death. She was given a rather common given name Teru, but being well-read, she gave herself the pen name Misuzu, derived from the word 'misuzukari', which means 'the reaping of bamboo grasses'.
I may like to compare her life with that of Adelaide Crapsey (1878 - 1914), the inventor of the cinquain. Both were ardently pursuing their art during their brief lives, but their popularity waned after their deaths. Fortunately for us, their poetry were not lost.
---------------
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 ten thousands of dead.
-- Kaneko Misuzu
And for fun, an AI generated image of the above drawing in anime style from me at Fotor.
© cheong lee san ( dsnake1 ) 2025
A portrait of Kaneko Misuzu
It must be those eyes,
like dark coals
staring into the echoes,
a certain fleeting sadness,
as if she can see
into the future
her later unfortunate life,
that draws me
to the portrait.
"We're all different, and that's just fine"
01/04/2025
**********
Kaneko Misuzu ( 金子 みすゞ), (1903 -1930), was a Japanese poet known for her poetry for children. She was celebrated during her lifetime, but her works fell into obscurity after her death. She was given a rather common given name Teru, but being well-read, she gave herself the pen name Misuzu, derived from the word 'misuzukari', which means 'the reaping of bamboo grasses'.
I may like to compare her life with that of Adelaide Crapsey (1878 - 1914), the inventor of the cinquain. Both were ardently pursuing their art during their brief lives, but their popularity waned after their deaths. Fortunately for us, their poetry were not lost.
---------------
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 ten thousands of dead.
-- Kaneko Misuzu
And for fun, an AI generated image of the above drawing in anime style from me at Fotor.
© cheong lee san ( dsnake1 ) 2025
Labels: GloPoWriMo 2025, poet, portrait
posted by dsnake1 at 12:06 AM
2 Comments:
Yes, she does have a wistful, vulnerable look. Her poem Big Catch is a joy to read! And I like your poem reflecting on her, too.
There was this prompt at NaPoWriMo to write a portrait poem. I was looking at some portraits of poets when I came across her sepia photograph. The poem sort of wrote itself from her tragic life story. And I thought I have to do a pencil sketch of her too, though it really didn't look too much like her in the photo. :)
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