[Shirokuma Literature Club] Washing Hands - Two Tanka Poems and Associated Writing

The cushion of fluffy bubbles when washing hands
Has a faint lingering scent of lemon

There are many things I use when washing my hands, but the first thing that came to mind was nostalgic lemon soap. At the long washbasins in my elementary school, lemon soaps in mandarin orange nets were hung from the many faucets.

After wetting it and working up a lather to wash my hands slowly, rinsing them with cold water leaves behind a faint scent of lemon.

🍋 🍋 🍋

Speaking of lemon-scented soap, I remember a soap called Kao Harness. It was a citrus-scented deodorant soap, though this was one used for washing the body rather than the hands.

It had such a lovely scent, and I was always so happy when it was in the bathroom. During my adolescence and youth, I was naturally concerned about my personal grooming, so deodorant soaps with such nice scents were very useful.

The magazine advertisements for this Harness soap featured illustrations by Seizo Watase, which were incredibly stylish and which I loved.

🍋 🍋 🍋

Speaking of Seizo Watase, that brings to mind Heart Cocktail. The manga was even adapted into an anime. I think I read a little bit of the manga. I also feel like I watched a little bit of the anime.

Soundtracks were released for Heart Cocktail and turned into a series. I loved Heart Cocktail and rented almost all of them. I remember that back then, having just gotten my driver's license, I would drive around here and there in my newly purchased pink Rex while playing the cassettes.

🍋 🍋 🍋

Speaking of driving around, I love driving my car aimlessly. I don't mind driving much, so I sometimes intentionally take the long way around or drive down roads I don't know. At times like that, I sometimes make new discoveries, and other times I end up in unexpected places and get lost.

This might actually be similar to life. Life isn't always about things going smoothly; perhaps it's more often about taking detours or getting lost. Even so, we have to keep moving forward while using trial and error or getting help from others. Even if I stop or get lost, I want to walk the path of life one step at a time.

Even if I stumble and stop, one step at a time
A life full of confusion is a journey

I am participating in the Shirokuma Literature Club 💛
This week's theme is "Washing Hands."

This time, I composed a tanka poem first, and then wrote the associated text. Since it ended with the conclusion that life is just full of confusion, I composed a tanka poem based on that.

I wonder if they'll ever rerelease Harness.
It was such a nice-smelling deodorant soap, wasn't it?
( ﾟдﾟ) Oh!
C-could it be...
What I should be using right now isn't Harness, but
Persimmon-Astringent-Soap!?
...(´・ω・`)

Thank you for reading until the end today as well♪

#ShirokumaLiteratureClub
#WashingHands