I.
A human tide:
buzzing, vibrating, giggling, 
Angrily festive.
A pretension of direction; 
     [a predestination of directed-ness?]
they swarm along in their liberty
by the sea, by the sea,
by the beautiful sea.

II.
An image swarm:
defining, bolstering, belittling,
Dizzyingly meaningless.
An attempt at identification;
     [this is me! I am this!]
tee-shirts cry out; devices amplify
by the sea, by the sea,
by the beautiful sea.

III.
A rhythmic prayer:
repeating, rubbing, defending,
shockingly certain.
An assertion of salvation;
     [my god’s better than your god]
their consumptive liberty assured
by the sea, by the sea,
by the beautiful sea.

IV.
A democratic responsibility:
weighing, groaning, sliding,
certainly collective.
A forgotten responsibility;
     [Necessarily take? Hold fast conscience?]
their economic dependence denied
by the sea, by the sea,
by the beautiful sea.

By the beautiful sea
we flock, we wait, we plea:
Give us this day
our daily buzz; our daily fix;
     [our daily charge?]
and grant unto us
an everlasting unconsciousness
by the sea.