Unwired 1I hear people talking everywhere, but nobody’s talking to me. I see people with wires running out of their ears, but none of those wires lead to me. 2People with phones at the ends of their arms can’t reach out to shake my hand. People with music funneled into their heads can’t hear, let alone understand. 3So I raise my voice to bridge the abyss* that gapes between them and me. And I wave my hands to get their attention, but only an echo returns to me. 4“Hi, how you doin’,” I hear someone say, so I prepare a friendly reply, but he looks right through me and goes on his way, speaking into the mike on his tie. 5I can no longer tell, as I stroll down the block, who’s normal and whose mind is missing because everyone’s talking aloud as they walk, with no one beside them to listen. 6Perhaps I’m the one who has missed the boat, seeking old-fashioned conversation, since everyone else has a gadget to tote and is wired for virtual communication. *abyss: a deep pit or canyon 1. In stanza 1, how do you think the speaker is feeling?

Unwired 1I hear people talking everywhere, but nobody’s talking to me. I see people with wires running out of their ears, but none of those wires lead to me. 2People with phones at the ends of their arms can’t reach out to shake my hand. People with music funneled into their heads can’t hear, let alone understand. 3So I raise my voice to bridge the abyss* that gapes between them and me. And I wave my hands to get their attention, but only an echo returns to me. 4“Hi, how you doin’,” I hear someone say, so I prepare a friendly reply, but he looks right through me and goes on his way, speaking into the mike on his tie. 5I can no longer tell, as I stroll down the block, who’s normal and whose mind is missing because everyone’s talking aloud as they walk, with no one beside them to listen. 6Perhaps I’m the one who has missed the boat, seeking old-fashioned conversation, since everyone else has a gadget to tote and is wired for virtual communication. *abyss: a deep pit or canyon 2. What does the speaker experience in the fourth stanza?

Unwired 1I hear people talking everywhere, but nobody’s talking to me. I see people with wires running out of their ears, but none of those wires lead to me. 2People with phones at the ends of their arms can’t reach out to shake my hand. People with music funneled into their heads can’t hear, let alone understand. 3So I raise my voice to bridge the abyss* that gapes between them and me. And I wave my hands to get their attention, but only an echo returns to me. 4“Hi, how you doin’,” I hear someone say, so I prepare a friendly reply, but he looks right through me and goes on his way, speaking into the mike on his tie. 5I can no longer tell, as I stroll down the block, who’s normal and whose mind is missing because everyone’s talking aloud as they walk, with no one beside them to listen. 6Perhaps I’m the one who has missed the boat, seeking old-fashioned conversation, since everyone else has a gadget to tote and is wired for virtual communication. *abyss: a deep pit or canyon 3. Which of the following jobs do you think the speaker would be more likely to enjoy?