Duffy's poem "Text" is a reflection on how the device she uses to streamline her life and communication actually hinders her communication efforts at times.

The poem opens with a simile, the poet comparing her mobile device to an "injured bird." She must care for it, tending to it with a nurturing touch. It is fragile and in need of her constant attention, and she cradles it in her hand, providing her unfailing attention to its delicate needs.

In the next stanza, the speaker notes that she must "text, text, text" her messages. The repetition of the words mimics the repetitive nature of a text conversation. Back and forth, the words emerge on a screen as fingers labor over letters, flying over the keyboard again and again.

As she rereads these messages, she looks for some sign of affection (symbolized by the xx) in the words on her screen. Because she lacks the benefit of seeing the face of this unnamed "you," the meaning becomes unclear. How should she process the message? Is it sent with love and affection? Or should she interpret those words on her screen differently?

The texts, then, are like "codes" which must be deciphered with each message. Did ending punctuation signal anger? Did the person with whom she is texting respond with "k" in frustration or simply in a hurry? Texting comes with its own unwritten rules of usage, and those rules vary between people. Because things can be so easily misunderstood through a text conversation, the speaker feels there is a "broken chord" in their communication. Something sounds "off."

She struggles to recall the physical hands of the person with whom she is texting. The speaker is left with a sense of discontent, feeling that the physical distance which separates her and this person creates a mental distance between them as well.