July 6th – All hail the Lifeguard, the megaphone-carrying sentinel keeping the waters safe. Write about him / her from one of three distinct points of view: a child, a young adult approximately the same age as the guard, or an older person. Or write from the guard’s P.O.V.
***
KEEPING UP WITH THE WAVES
July 4 – Fireworks on the Lake
POETIC BLOOMINGS 
Responses
OFF DUTY
Crash of surf on sand,
gulls abound and flit around
in gangs of ten or twenty.
I’d have bet money
that the beach would be full
until we cleared the ridge to the shore.
Widely scattered blankets, more
sand than flannel, to a (wo)man
the guards start to vacate. We’re late
to get in the water, we ought to
have come earlier. But the atmosphere
is soothing. Two of us are barefoot at Erie’s edge.
Hedging that bet, I get a flash of memory,
back to the day when our girls were younger
and I didn’t need sunscreen to protect my scalp.
No guard on duty. Sentinels suspended.
But it didn’t cause the end of this wonderful day.
Sunset burned into our eyes; in our hearts it stays.
Great write, Walt.
And look at our back-to-back titles. 😉
This feels nostalgic; I’ve had a similar feeling on the Ontario shore, too.
I enjoyed this, Walt, specially the line: and I didn’t need sunscreen to protect my scalp!
Sunset burned into our eyes; in our hearts it stays. That last line!
Yes! I love that last line as well! Very nice poem, Walt. 🙂
I was drawn to this line, too, Walt.
ALWAYS ON DUTY
as her heart breaks
like ocean waves
and she tries to keep her head
above water
we stand by on life watch
Two great ones to get us started. I noticed those titles too, Marie.
I like this “sentinel” take on the prompt. There are many ways to read your poem, and I think the ambiguity adds to its power.
A terrific metaphor.
Sorry I haven’t been around much lately. Moving is hell on earth!
So many ways to take this – all sad. Very nicely done.
Wow…beautiful, but sad and haunting too.
Ohhhhh. Beautiful and heartbreaking, Marie.
I, for one, am grateful for the people in my life who stand by on life (and prayer) watch. ❤
On looking back on lifeguards
tan, buff, water gods
the lifeguards
will risk all for us
tan, toned, hot sun gods
cool in shades
cooler in the chair
tan kids in a chair
more at stake
than they likely know
that last stanza puts it all in perspective, hm? great one.
Wow. Stops me in my tracks, lorwynd.
Marie Elena
Yes, indeed.
Oh, yes, very good.
Nice!
Right? I have thought this so many times. The tan, flirting teens at our local pool just don’t seem capable of saving someone’s life.
Ah, you summed it up. I left myself a teenager.
Pedestalled
Golden, he was, and sculpted
like Greek statuary, pedestalled
by the pool, above the populace
below, above the shouting children,
above the teenaged girls
in bright bikinis and parents
ignoring pleas of “look at me!”
He sat inscrutable in dark glasses,
Gatorade by his side, scanning
the surface for miscreants,
overzealous divers, runners,
and struggling new swimmers,
his whistle at the ready.
Each hour, he descended
to stretch and take a dip,
his muscles rolling shining wet,
his trunks clinging just so,
a female counter-part aloft.
He dove and glided end to end
on one breath, all the sun-bathers
holding their breaths in sympathy,
and even old men looking on
nodded and smiled, imagining
themselves once works of art.
The girls swooned in his wake;
their mothers grew alert and still,
while the old ladies moaned
appreciatively, then closed
their eyes and smiled.
Ah yes! Bravo, Jane! You nailed it from all angles.
Marie Elena
Here is another of your word-poem vignettes. This one has teh feel of a tone poem, too. Just superb.
Golden, he was, and sculpted like Greek statuary, pedestalled
by the pool… you are so gifted at painting pictures with perfect choiced words!
Perfection, Jane! I love this!
Excellent.
ATHLETE UNBOUND
He died
so happily,
his end the natural
apotheosis of life not
guarded.
copyright 2013, William Preston
Oh, nice
Excellent, William! I always admire a different take on the prompt, which this is … but prompt or none, this is simply a great piece.
Marie Elena
Thanks. That’s kind of you to say.
Wonderful! What a different take on the prompt!
so much said in so few words. i’m digging how you and Marie have redefined life guard. wish I’d thought of that.
Nice take. 🙂
LIFEGUARD
He was my premier sentinel
whenever I would venture forth
upon my bike, cranking my bell
to warn the neighbors to the north
that I was coming to rescue all,
for I was the General, straight and tall.
I knew I could complete my mission
no matter how obtuse or dire;
I even could cause nuclear fission
if that would douse an errant fire.
No task would I ever abort
while Dad was there to guard the fort.
copyright 2013, William Preston
Sweet child’s perspective.
Oh my goodness! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!!
Marie Elena
ditto. a keeper.
This voice is awesome…so believable…you created quite the character, William…great writing!
What Hannah said. 🙂
Aww, how sweet! Love it!
Paul, The Lifeguard
The tragedy of yesterday was all
That occupied his mind: “You were too slow,”
A little voice kept whispering, “Oh Paul,
Her death was really all your fault, you know.”
And that was all the truth, he knew, he could
Have saved that girl; he’d been too slow, and now
Her face would would haunt his memory, it should:
Her face as he had seen it sink below;
Just then, quite suddenly, somebody screamed;
And yesterday shot through his mind, he felt
A sense of déjà vu, it really seemed
That fate another blow to him had dealt;
But this time things turned out the other way,
And she stayed with him to this very day
© Copyright Erin Kay Hope – 2013
Never really thought about that aspect – guilt – yes, a big responsibility.
It is, and so many people are driven by it… Thanks for reading, Debi. 🙂
Gripping and haunting.
Marie Elena
Yea
Thank you, Marie and William!!
Skillfully written; your meter right on the money.
Thanks, Jackie! Now that I’ve actually got it down, it’s so easy! 😉
Quite the story you’ve spun, Erin! Well done!
Thanks, Hannah!
You’re welcome!!
your story and its sonnet form are amazing. great job, Erin.
Thank you so much, Jane! That means a lot to me. 🙂
Well done, Erin. You have mastered the sonnet form.
Oh, thank you, De! I really appreciate your words!
On the Beach
There are those who plunge in,
willy nilly, sink or swim,
eager to taste whatever’s out there,
experience it all.
And then there are life’s watchers,
uncertain whether to dip a toe
and missing such a lot
because they dare not.
But I have the best of both worlds –
I save the sinkers,
encourage the dippers,
and live life to the full.
I have enjoyed reading them all, and Viv, your last line sums it up for me!! :)!!
I love this, Viv, truth that transcends the beach.
VIV! Warm smiles to you! Sooooo good to have you join us! Great heart and soul to your words this morning. Thank you!
Marie Elena
I agree with, Marie!!! Viv, I agree with Debi, too…this does translate to more than beach attitudes! Well done!
Very nice interpretation of the prompt, Viv! 🙂
so well represents the hands-on lifeguard, teaching water wonder.
Love the sense of balance here, Viv.
Viv, this is wonderful. A true take on guarding.
Futility
Try as you might
You cannot guard
a person
who likes
to live life
unguarded. 😦
Bingo!
Exactly! Nice
SPOT ON, HEN. SPOT ON.
Marie Elena
Yup indeed!!
Right on! Very nice, Hen. 🙂
I love how you are always able to say so much in such small poems. Love this simplicity!
you’re right, right down to the emoticon.
So sadly true.
Thanks all, it was a very painful write…!!
The Lifeguard
Lifeguard, lifeguard
hard muscles rippled as waves by breeze
Lifeguard, lifeguard
who regards water with ease
Lifeguard, lifeguard
who wards of the dangers of deep
Lifeguard, lifeguard
starts each day greeting the sun
and Poseidon
Nice!
Marie Elena
LOVE your last two lines!!!
Me too!
Your repetition works so well for you here, Misky.
[…] PB’s Beach Series: “Lifeguard” […]
Whistle While you Work
Susie and I found a spot by the pool
we thought we looked sexy and cool
in our polka-dotted two-piece
slathering Coppertone in every crease
of knee and elbow before we tipped-toed
in the cold water , giggled and squealed – code
for “look at us, boys” as we tried hard
to capture the eye of the life guard.
But, he wasn’t interested in two little girls.
We swam, and played the water a’whorl
with our activity and fun then – that darn whistle
and we looked at him in withering dismissal,
and haughtily trudged to our towel
squacking and fussing like two guinea fowl.
Debi, you bring back such memories! I thought of writing about that doggone whistle and “Everybody out of the pool!” as well. 😉
Marie Elena
I think it was for15 minutes – it seemed like half a day – and then to add insult to injury, the lifeguards got in the pool! We didn’t like it a little bit, ha.
I love this little vignette.
This was great fun…so vivid, Debi!! Love the to-do about getting the boys/’ attention and the twist in the story!!
Very nicely written, Debi. I like “code for ‘look at us, boys’”. 🙂
a great chuckle, Debi.
Ha! Love this, Debi.
*squawking* (head thump!)
I dunno. I think you’ve coined a useful word here.
Ha :), kind of a cross between a cackling hen and squawking guinea.
Life’s a Beach ; The Lifeguard
Our hero on his perch; sun sentinel.
Life is in his hands should there be riptide.
And, muscular, he’s quite commendable;
his youth and golden curls are hard to hide.
The wading girls go passing by his perch
they walk a little slower to devise
a dream of rescue and that sentry’s touch
but dare not wet the coif they wear with pride.
Golden dreams, remembered from past waters
my own bikini’d days are long and gone;
sand flies into my face as by they saunter
’tis time to give my skin a wet sarong.
Old age cares not for silken, hairy pride
and so more freedom midst this hoary tide.
Sensual and too true. I’m with you in “my own bikini’d days are long and gone,” 😉
Marie Elena
Nice, and fun.
Great descriptions, Jackie!!
Love your descriptions and volta. Very nice, Jackie!
“he’s quite commendable” I love the tongue in cheek and playfulness of this.
Awesome in rhythm, rhyme, form, and tongue planted fabulously in cheek.
Thanks, all you guys, for kind remarks, re my sonnet.
Am still still looking for the Riptide picture someone posted on my facebook. Something I had never known or seen in all my years of beaching. It looks like a nice still, quiet patch_ alley-way of water BETWEEN two, normal looking ‘busy’ sections. The dangerous section where you do NOT want to swim is that quiet alley of water! I was shocked to learn of it!
Beautifully written and so true, Jacqueline.
Baywatch Holdover
The beach spread out before his view
A smile stretched ‘cross his face
His eyes glazed over open wide
He’d heard about this place
He started walking first to the right
Seeking to shake a brave hand
And thank those that defend the shores
Protecting all those on the sand
He made it to the end of the beach
Ran back to where he’d come in
This time he headed to his left
Determination had set in
His mission seemed more than just to thank
Those willing to risk all for strangers
Still on he trekked with gratitude
For those that defied danger
He found every lifeguard along the beach mile
Thanked them all with a handshake, a hug and a smile
As he shook the last hand his smile went away
It seemed Pamela Anderson wasn’t working that day
For so long he had been her number one fan
He returned to Wisconsin a heartbroken man
What would his heart fix
Thank God for Netflix
© 2013 Earl Parsons
HA!! 😀 !
Marie Elena
Yup
Oh so funny, Earl! 😀
lol, Earl!
Heehee! Fun!
The Lifeguards (A Tanka)
They watch from their perch
For those that challenge the surf
They battle the waves
The unfortunate to save
From the power of the sea
© 2013 Earl Parsons
Yes, indeed.
Marie Elena
Yes, they do. Great poem, Earl.
Well done, Earl.
What’s funny is that my older brother was a lifeguard and he held the top level certification for the state of Maine. Everyone in my family are like fish in the water. And I swim like a rock. But, I sure do like the beach.
LIFEGUARD
She caught him eyeing her
With suspicion.
Doubt.
She felt a tinge of guilt for longing
For the opportune moment to
Show him
Her feminine frame
Slender, manicured hands
And soft, glossed lips
Are trained.
Skilled.
Strong.
And so much more than capable.
Yes!! Love this perspective, Marie!! Such power in this one. ♥
Thanks, sweet friend! 🙂
You’re so welcome!! 🙂
I echo that.
Love this, Marie! It’s so different than all the others today… 🙂
NICE.
[…] LIFE IS A BEACH – LIFEGUARDBy Poetic Bloomings […]
My lines are too long but you’re a smart bunch and can imagine what it looks like or if you want a prettied up version with an image and some wiki info on riptides you’re welcome to hop over to my blog!! :)’s
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Dangerous Acrostic
~
Dangerously swift surface-current in disguise as a calm spot for your littles to wade,
~
anxious seawater is swallowed in gulps, there in that dark, smooth, glassy-patch,
~
never considers its meal, its hunger is insatiable consuming young and old alike;
~
generous amounts of ocean disappear in sudden slugs, (eight feet per second).
~
Enter at your own risk, is an understatement,
~
riptide IS in full effect and it won’t negotiate for your children’s lives.
~
Oh, yes, I’m watching from this tall, wooden wrought chair
under the bright-red umbrella with the giant white plus sign on it…
~
still, seriously, I beg of you, please be careful, this force of nature is stronger than me.
~
Copyright © Hannah Gosselin 2013
Oh my … this is so very true, all … down to your final “nature is stronger than me.”
Well done, Hannah.
Marie Elena
Thank you, Marie! I’m glad of your mention…hoped it would be a punchy-ending. 🙂
The end line punches home. Wonderful.
Thank you, William!!! 🙂
Very skillfully written from the lifeguard’s point of view. That last line is so powerful! 🙂
Thank you, Erin!!! 🙂
You’re welcome. ❤
Excellent, Hannah. Love this perspective.
Thank you, De!!
YES! the glassy patch; a good description, is what you must respect.
THE OLD LIFEGUARD REFLECTS
When the sea
roared,
I would shudder.
copyright 2013, William Preston
So much here in so little words…
I can’t imagine the stress involved…phew.
HEARD BENEATH THE LIFEGUARD TOWER
The girls
are great this year.
I’d like to commingle
with them all, from dawn to sunset,
but the view is better here.
copyright 2013, William Preston
That form fits you well. haha
I had a good teacher.
Nice one, William. Love the form! 😀
Heehee.
Fear of Fear
I was afraid he’d be afraid
like I had been for so many years.
He, my son, was small
when I finally overcame my fear
and rode the waves.
So when he, at ten, ventured
out a ways I just watched
biting my lip,
but the white-nosed thin blond
atop her porch whistled and
shouted about the undertow
and in he came.
Otherwise, he might
still be lost at sea.
oops porch/perch
Scary indeed…the ocean is a force. Nicely done, Connie!
Ditto this.
As a mama, I love this one. Have had to bite my lip so many times…and so thankful for the other “safety fairies” in the world who sometimes step in at just the right moment…
[…] Still Blooming at the beach. Come splash around with us. […]
Sea Sentry
On guard in ivory tower,
she slathers on the SPF
and waits for siren’s call.
Basking in sun’s power
she gathers up her grains
of sand and looses them all.
Fair (maid)en waiting long,
she holds her salty breath
and counts each wanton wave.
You can almost hear her song,
but the tail doesn’t e(mer)ge
until there’s someone to save.
.
This is beautiful, De, right down to the very last line! 🙂
I LOVE that your muse is visiting your poem today…she’d be perfect for the job!! This and what I said on your blog!! 😉 Excellent work!
Amen to that.
In Deep Water
I wanted to be a lifeguard
But I can’t swim or float
They gave me a life jacket
And stuck me in a boat
Now I patrol deep water
On guard for troubled souls
In my spare time I hand out
The tourists fishing poles
This gig is temporary
‘Til school starts in the fall
Then I will seek a job change
‘Cause this ain’t fun at all
© 2013 Earl Parsons
Earl, this piece is hilarious. Thanks so much for the great laugh this morning. 🙂
Thanks. A laugh a day keeps something away…. Just can’t remember what.
Hilarious is the word for it.
[…] … A second poem for today’s prompt at Bloomings. […]
Red Cross My Heart
(a Triolet)
Buoy oh boy, the beach is hot today.
I’m in love with a lifeguard, and I’m drowning.
Sunburnt, I’ve learnt there’s nothing left to say.
Buoy oh boy, the beach is hot today.
Scantily clad, glad girls come out to play,
While I just stand here, fuming, freckled, frowning.
Buoy oh boy, the beach is hot today.
I’m in love with a lifeguard, and I’m drowning.
.
A Whimsygizmo Triolet
I hope the Gizmo paints her toes today
as on the beach her nails sit, dripping hot
sunburnt, they tilt and hapless, lean astray
I hope the Gizmo paints her toes today
Some distance from her toes that lifeguard stays
The Gizmo’s toes are faded from sunspots
I hope the Gizmo paints her toes today
Egads! I hope she paints her toes a lot!
LOL, jacqueline! 😉
Right now they’re turquoise.
Delightful!
The Lifeguard in Winter
Because nothing is ever as it seems
I know that sometimes you climb down
From that tower on the sand
Surrounded by pretty girls
Who swim out farther than they should
So that you will come to their rescue.
You already knew that I could swim
What chance did I have among all
Those sweet young things?
We could rescue ourselves from the danger
Of too many Taco Bell burritos
Eaten alone in a lonely room
Playing with our computers until one
Day it happens and we connect
Now my mornings are filled with an
Electronic kind of joy
And my boring days at work are not
Always what they seem
Mornings, noon and night, another summer
Hovers in the distance. The fireflies are
Preparing themselves to light our way
We will guard our lives together.
a sweet poem about burritos and loneliness…
Please Guard My Life
Curly blonde Greek god
sits high on white throne.
We are teenage girls, giggling,
flirting, trying to catch
his attention. We wait
for his break, watch him climb
down the ladder, legs popping
with muscles, sunglasses
wrapped ‘round his eyes.
Tongue-tied, we stare.
This delightful piece makes me wonder how the girls think of skinny lifeguards with acne.
[…] Poetic Bloomings, Lifeguard […]
Lifeguards: Church Camp
The director waved our feed for church camp—
twin boys, no dad at home, expecting only
that we lifeguard twice a day—the boys at ten,
the girls at half past one, time to digest
the mess hall fare. A fair exchange, we thought,
no different treatment otherwise: sharing cabins,
weaving lanyards, playing roles in pranks and skits.
The first shift was routine, as we sat side by side
above the chlorinated haze perched always
on alert, never called to rescue, rarely more
challenge than refereeing Marco Polo fights.
But we weren’t allowed to see the girls—
after all, this was 1966—in their two-piece
Sears and Roebucks suits bought new for camp.
Mixed bathing, we called it then, a borderline sin
even in junior high, at least for Christians this far
from the coast. Instead, they made us turn our seats,
backs to the pool, while Sister Taylor, vigilant
but devout non-swimmer, kept her eyes peeled
for any sign of danger that might require us
to keep our lust in check, diving in for the save.
Lifeguard of Humanity
By David De Jong
He held His post that fateful day
Protector of lives, come what may
Positioned high where all could see
Watchers mocked His identity
Ridiculed in humility
This lifeguard of humanity
He held His post that fateful day
Where He clearly seen all that stray
He could not sit, He could not stand
Securing life with each pierced hand
His love held high upon a tree
This lifeguard of humanity
He held His post that fateful day
A mighty king, born in the hay
He gave His life as lifeguards do
He paid it all, to see it through
His blood was shed for you, for me
This lifeguard of humanity
He held His post that fateful day
I bow my head, in reverence pray
I break the bread, I drink the wine
To remember; His love Devine
Jesus a name so dear to me
This lifeguard of humanity
On the Surface
A blue bottle on a blue sea,
a bit of plastic so sad to see.
But as it drifts closer in,
we find we are wrong.
No plastic here,
a bit of war
has come to the shore.
Their tentacles pack a nasty sting
and if there was a lifeguard here
he would surely close the beach.
For now they carefully move the bit of war
out of reach.
i married the guard
turned into a bard
with a love poem
written upon her heart
for the guard
who first saved her life
then collected the fee
of a pound of her heart
and a lifetime of free
saving and love
and now she is free
from the fear of a life
lost in fear of the sea.
[…] Written for Poetic Bloomings “Life is a Beach” – Day 6: Lifeguard. […]
MY SAVIOR
(a shadorma)
Like a child
at the beach, I have
rules to keep;
yet: free will.
My Lifeguard watches, having
already saved me.
2013-07-08
P. Wanken
Oh, Paula. So glad I came back to read this. Fantastic.
❤
Thank you, my friend.
(Rondelet)
Guard on duty
watching, sitting, whittling with a knife.
Guard on duty
beside the changing sand and sea.
On duty er’e you come to strife
Then at night – beware – there’s no Life
Guard on duty.
No Help Needed
Splashing and swallowing
The sea
Still couldn’t reach
Parents beyond me
In my periphery
Yelling, red buoy
Then tucked under
Muscular tanned arm
Towed unwillingly
(but necessarily)
To Safety