She whispered: don't forget me, I am always.

You are sad and I will talk to you.
I will hush your sighs and fill your head
With music that is toneless
Yet fuller than the largest orchestra
Could ever hope to play.
My voice is always.

You are proud and I will break you.
I will knock you from the safest reaches
Known to man, and will crush you
With a force that man's endeavour
Could never reproduce.
My strength is always.

You are running; I will hide you.
I will keep you from the eyes of those who chase,
And cover you more closely
Than any mother could protect her young.
My cloak is always.

You are happy; I can make you sad
Or I can make you more content
Than any work the brush of man's artistry
Could ever reconstruct.
My beauty is infinite.

I am everywhere;
Beneath the poles,
Amid the blazing suns of southern climates,
Around the smallest rocks and biggest continents.

And she whispered: don't forget me,
I am the sea and I am always.

1968