The poem follows a woman who shields herself with an umbrella, a private refuge from memories and sadness. The speaker sees that the shelter doesn't fully work: rain can still reach her face, and her past doesn't need her the way she believes it does. She clings to it anyway, calling life boring and blaming sleepless nights and nightmares for dimming her days.
The speaker seems to watch her with tenderness. Even though her smile has died, her eyes still shine, and the ocean image suggests a deep inner life she keeps diving into. Water appears again as waterfalls and a fountain, which she hopes will blur her memories, though the speaker notes it is the one living thing in her. The mood is wistful and weary, with a glimmer of hope in the idea that struggle might hold its own beauty. The closing comparison to a browser with too many tabs open makes her overwhelmed mind feel modern and familiar.