Life's Waves

I like to body surf at the beach whenever I visit my relatives in San Diego. It's a thrill to catch a wave and feel that acceleration and exhilaration as the wave carries you to the shallows. But sometimes the waves are bigger, and I feel the fear of not catching it at just the right point in it's formation, and then being thrashed about and forced to the sand under it's crushing weight. So in that moment of decision, I quickly ask myself, will this be a good ride, or will I be beaten? My other choice is to dive beneath the wave and come up after it has passed me by. I feel a lot safer doing that, but then I'm missing out on the thrill of the ride. I say to myself, there will be another wave that is better. But before too long I'm tired and have to get out of the water.

Is it brave to swim for her crest
or wise to dive beneath her breast
saving a thrashing
from a wave crashing?
Which approach to life’s waves is best?

My artwork and poem were previously posted by me on Twitter as @spherical_art, and on Instagram with the user name @sphericalart.
This image was made inside a 3D sphere. I call this method "spherical art" because it captures scenes from inside a sphere with a virtual camera. You can see more examples at sphericalart.com

Other limericks I've written and illustrated:
Walk Further
Money We'll Never Spend
Burritos of New Orleans
Geo-Man
Dental Floss!
Heart on the Edge
Sleeping Tigers
Rubberband Heaven
The Church of Man
A Bird With Glass Feathers
The Starfish & The Sponge
Regret
Yin & Yang
Golf in the Fog
Patterns in the Bottom
On the High Dive
Go Fish

Written and illustrated by ©Paul Petersen, all rights reserved.
Let me know what you think!