I wrote my poem The Wrecker for this week’s W3 Poetry Prompt #203, hosted by poet of the week Dennis Johnstone. His prompt invites us to be the lighthouse in a poem of 20–25 lines. Full guidelines are linked below.
Dennis’s prompt: Be the lighthouse
For this week’s prompt, you are the lighthouse.
Write a poem in which the speaker is a lighthouse guiding something away from danger, toward safety, or both.
You can approach this in several ways:
- Literal lighthouse: A real coastal structure doing its job. Keep the poem grounded in the physical reality of the lighthouse itself—its structure, machinery, light, weather, and surroundings.
- Metaphorical lighthouse: The lighthouse stands for a guiding force in life: a person, principle, warning voice, memory, or moral compass. The poem explores what it means to hold that position and what it costs to remain visible.
- Illusory lighthouse: The speaker believes they are guiding others, but the situation may be uncertain. Perhaps no one is watching; perhaps the signal reaches no one.
- Delusional lighthouse: The speaker is convinced they are performing a vital guiding role, though others may see something very different.
- False lighthouse: A darker possibility: a beacon that misleads. Historically, false lights were sometimes used to lure ships onto rocks. Your lighthouse might deceive, misdirect, or shine in the wrong direction.
Whichever path you choose, stay close to your lighthouse idea. The poem should clearly show how the speaker functions as a beacon.
Guidelines
- 20–25 lines maximum
- Choose a form that suits the subject
- Build the lighthouse through concrete images, actions, and sensory detail rather than abstract statements
As you write, ask yourself: What does your light reveal, warn against, or guide toward?
- Click HERE for my example, slightly longer than the prompt, which imagines a lighthouse that may not be entirely necessary.
The Wrecker
wind howls
hair blows—
whipping
her rain-lashed face
storm-born screams
race and whine
like nightmares
breakers
round dark rocks
pound
in leaden blackness
she clutches a brass lamp
holds it high—
a beacon for sailors
doomed to die
on this wild and awful night
on this cold and windy reef
she is
the shine
the light
the lure—
bringing a wayward ship to grief
onto jagged greedy teeth
toward the hoax—
the sandy jaw
where the wrecker glares
—Lesley Scoble, March 2026
What, no audio‽ — An audio version of The Wrecker is on its way; it just needs a little more time.
THANK YOU
Warm thanks to Dennis for his wonderful prompt, which inspired me to write this second poem on the Be a Lighthouse theme.
Warm thanks also to David for hosting W3 We’ave Weekly Poetry Prompts.
And thank you, dear reader, for spending time with my poem.
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