Watch Above the Tide

About this piece

A white lifeguard tower rises at the right of an empty beach, its stairs and angled supports crossing the textured sand. Bands of orange and gold illuminate the ocean horizon beneath pink clouds and a deep blue sky, balancing the tower’s geometry with an expansive coastal stillness.

The story

December finds the beach without bathers, its sand holding a scattered record of footsteps. Above the narrow silver-blue water, a bright seam of gold follows the cloud bank. The tower’s windows gather the cooler colors of the sky, while its steps descend toward the open shore. Near the year’s end, the empty lookout gives the immense horizon a human scale.