The Slowdown: Poetry & Reflection Daily 1391: Never-ending Birds by David Baker
Nov 7, 2025
Maggie Smith dives into the intimate language of poetry, likening it to a secret form of communication. She introduces David Baker's poignant poem, inspired by a child's phrase, 'never-ending birds.' The imagery of flocks, particularly starlings, serves as a powerful reflection on family and memory. Through the evocative reading, listeners are invited to reconnect with the simplicity and depth that poetry can bring to our understanding of life.
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Family Secret Languages Feel Like Magic
- Maggie Smith recalls learning about 'twinspeak' and how secret sibling language felt like a superpower.
- She describes her own close relationship with her sisters and private family shorthand that persisted into adulthood.
Poetry As A Private Language
- Maggie Smith observes poetry can act as a secret language that says the unsayable and invites others into intimacy.
- She frames sharing poems as an invitation into a delicate, private conversation with others.
A Poem Stuck In Memory
- Maggie Smith shares the poem 'Never-ending Birds' by David Baker and remembers carrying its language for years.
- She connects the phrase 'never-ending birds' to seeing starling murmurations and to a child in the poem coining the phrase.