I wish I could say I wrote this myself, but sometimes the words of other people provide so much insight into the cockles of my heart. 

Monster Wave

by Michael Johns

i stand.

my bare feet firmly planted

in shifting sand

as waves slap harmlessly 

against my chest.

unaware.

i look up and,

high above my head,

a monster wave

curls its white-capped claws.

unafraid.

i lean forward,

bracing myself

for the full force hit

of the killer wave.

fearless

i am smacked down hard

and pulled farther from shore

in a dizzying tornado

of swirling water.

trapped.

i force my eyes open,

feeling the hot sting

of salt and sand,

and see nothing.

darkness.

up, down, sideways i spin,

certain i must soon gasp for air 

and suck in an ocean.

helpless.

in mid-spin,

through swirling

specs of blinding sand,

i catch a glimpse

of light.

hope.

i shove my arms downward

and shoot up through the surface

into the brightness of day.

salvation. 

Romans 7:24-25a "Wretched [wo]man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!"