The poem begins with the speaker stating that the sea has swept into a coastal town and destroyed people's homes, swallowing up their firewood before delivering it back on the shore. The speaker says that it is destroying walls sweeping off chickens, pots, and ladles. It arrived suddenly, in the middle of the night, and is eating up the speaker's home. The speaker expresses sadness, listening to women crying and calling on gods for help.
The poem then singles out a specific woman, Aku, who is standing outside on a cold Sunday morning next to her children and her cooking-pot. She is so upset about the flood that she weeps, feeling abandoned by her ancestors and her gods. Meanwhile, goats and chickens are drowning, the waves are lapping at the shore, and the sea emits a constant hum. A woman named Adena has lost her most prized possessions and her dowry to the sea, which is eating her entire home.
