Bare feet on warm sand.
The sound of crashing waves.
Sun-kissed. Summer’s bliss.
A sudden flash
Red and yellow, lightning fast:
A lifeguard in yellow attire
Speeding out to sea
in his red zodiac.
Is there a life at stake?
The distance expanding
away from the beach.
The red boat slows down.
A yellow shape heaves something aboard.
Coming back inland.
The boat returning
at leisurely speed.
No man overboard now on board.
But a glitter-dotted pink swim ring
around the saviour’s waste
as he approached the shore.
Lifeguards give everything
to safe from wild ocean currents
a child’s favourite toy.
Or the sea
from even more plastic waste.
Pulling his boat on land
Two passers-by lend him a hand
Friendly, spontaneously.
Pads on backs, laughter, smiles.
He then walks away,
The swim ring in his strong arms.
Happy reunions?
We don’t know…
As he vanished in a sea
of sunbathers, beach-combers
populating his stretch
on that sunny July day.
Beate Schulze, July 2025
