(Theresa van Koeverden wrote the poem The Warning after the drowning death of Jule Marie Kovar of Fort Gratiot, Michigan in August. The 14-year old slipped under the surface as she swam in rough waters at the Grand Bend beach near the pier.)
The Warning
By Theresa van Koeverden
Soft warm sand
Shifting shards of rock
Under toes
Lying, drifting, twirling
Pressing against the pole
Where the red flag waves
Light, warm breeze
Crossing over the lake
Over heads
Flowing,
Catching against the pole
Where the red flag wves
Blue rolling water
Capturing the sand
Against bodies
Jumping, curling, moving
Rolling toward the pole
Where the red flag waves
Feet on sand
Standing suddenly still
Between waves
Churning, enfolding, trapping
Forgetting the pole
Where the red flag waves
No way out
Curling with the cap
In water
Reaching, pulling, touching
Missing, warning
From the red flag’s wave.