Down at the promenade on Remembrance Sunday
For the open air service of thoughts and prayers
The English Channel, a reminder, a memory,
For many; for me – a sea of history.
And in my thoughts, I asked curiously;

Does the sea know, it saved us from the invading footfall
Does it know it carried men to war and boys to serve
Does it know it rescued the trapped from Dunkirk
And does it know that its storms drowned others.

Does the sea know, it swallowed planes whole
Does it know submarines lurked in its depth
Does it know that mines floated on its buoyancy
And does it know, they wrecked many a ship.

Does it know, that it brought the boys home
Does it know they shed salty tears in its wake
Does it know a welcome lined its English shore
And does it know a people’s gratitude.

Hark, sings the whistling wind
The answer you seek is yes
For the sea and I are united
In our remembrance of the past.

With all the wreaths in place
I turned for home, content;
That the sea, the wind and I,
Had shown our joint respect.