Carpe Diem Tan Renga Challenge #96 Sumitaku Kenshin's out of the washbowl

Dear Haijin, visitors and travelers,

What a joy to create another episode (now bi-weekly) of our Tan Renga Challenge in which I challenge you to write a second stanza towards the given first stanza, a haiku, through association as we do at the moment in our first Renga Party.
The Tan Renga is a short chained poem written by two poets and looks very similar to the Tanka. The only difference is that the Tan Renga is written with two and the tanka with one poet.

This week's Tan Renga Challenge is of a modern haiku poet, who wrote his haiku always in one horizontal line. His name Sumitaku Kenshin (1961-1987) who died at the age of almost 26 after a sickbed of leukemia.

Out of the washbowl
I scoop up,
my distorted face

© Sumitaku Kenshin (1961-1987)

Sumitaku Kenshin (1961-1987), who died, just before turning 26, of acute myeloid leukemia, devoted the last 20 months of his life to haiku.

Kenshin was born on March 21, 1961, in Okayama, west of Osaka, and was named Haruo (spring man) probably because that date in most years falls on the spring equinox in Japan. In September 1982 he started taking a correspondence course on Buddhism. In July 1983, when a normal Japanese at his age had just joined a corporation, he became a priest of the Pure Land sect of Buddhism, in a ceremony held at the Nishi-Honganji, Kyoto, and was given the name Kenshin (revealed faith). In February 1984 he was diagnosed with leukemia and hospitalized. In October he became a member of the “free-rhythm” haiku group Sôun (Cumulus). In 1985 his conditions improved enough for him to leave the hospital, and for a few months he engaged in promoting “free-rhythm” haiku. But soon he was back in the hospital and on February 7, of the following year, he died.

Out of the washbowl
I scoop up,
my distorted face                                     (Sumitaku Kenshin)

the ice cold water refreshes
my face, my heart and my mind               (Chèvrefeuille)

And now its up to you. Make this Tan Renga complete by adding your second stanza of two lines of approximately 7-7 syllables.

This Tan Renga Challenge is NOW OPEN for your submissions and will remain open until August 21st at noon (CET). Have fun!