i collect words in a jar like seashells
they don’t always make sense that way
(especially when the jar’s been shaken—
it’s not always shaken intentionally)
i collect them from the sea
my mother told me recently that there’s no sea in heaven
so the bible says
i don’t want to be anywhere that has no sea
i love the sea
“for whatever we lose (like a you or a me)
it’s always ourselves we find in the sea”

I’m with you here. To borrow a phrase from a guy named Nat Stone: No better place to be than on the water. Or near it, for that matter. And for whatever it’s worth, I think your poem is far better than McKuen’s.
I Love The Sea reminds me of this dirge by Justin Currie…
https://youtu.be/clV9a-UElT8?si=XAqg95m9czg0WeTZ