Wood, tall, painted white

Steps in the front, shelter overhead

I stood at its base in the parking lot

It was out of place in that spot

Should have been on the beach instead

But it caught my eye and I stopped to look

A week before Memorial Day

The large sign on the back of it read like a rule book

“No climbing on the jetties, no diving, no being on the beach in a storm, no dogs allowed….”

I wished I could scribble it all out

And go back to that fall of 2008

When me and you were in that lifeguard stand

When it was in its proper place, the sand

We ignored the “Lifeguard Only” sign in the front,

Climbed the little ladder up to the platform,

Dipped under the chain that cordoned off that wood seat

One time to watch the incoming storm

Another to just be and stare at the bay

That one time, just to be in each other’s presence

Whenever we could repeat

Our youth was joyous evanescence

We walked out to the jetties

We brought my dog

Just a handful of locals then

Like sea birds perched on a log

I can smell the humid, salty breeze

I smelled it back then

At 19 and 20 when we made our plans

Here we are now coming up on our 10-year anniversary

Sweet matrimony

Let’s go there again, to the sand

Even during the storm, among the bland rules

You’re always my man

Here’s to many more years

As we climb the ladder, dip under the chain

As we watch the water and hear the rain

Submerged in laughter

As the lifeguards and tides change

There’s still a seat for us  

A sacred trust

You still have my heart and hold my hand

I’m still all yours

Like I was when we started

In that lifeguard stand