“The Formal Beginnings of Packing,” a Poem by Amanda Nadelberg
The poem 'The Formal Beginnings of Packing' by Amanda Nadelberg explores themes of memory, attention, and creative expression through abstract and lyrical imagery. It reflects on the passage of time, personal transformation, and the act of writing as a form of living. The piece blends introspection with poetic metaphor, culminating in a meditation on the nature of poetry itself.
- ▪The poem 'The Formal Beginnings of Packing' is written by Amanda Nadelberg.
- ▪It is excerpted from the collection titled 'Shake Until Cloudy'.
- ▪The work is published with permission from The Song Cave.
- ▪Copyright for the poem is held by Amanda Nadelberg and dated 2026.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
At some point I stopped stopping to write, life a mark of living not clicking. I wore verbs around my neck swam to think in lengths and stretch the small of my back. Don’t picture me pausing to take a photograph I wrote about syntax in Frost not the woods. In subsequent years I wondered what attention was, yours, mine, the hours I displaced in proximity learning a metal song in quarters of light, pretending to score dinner like a tableau, reconstructing mirrors in the wild nest of country living. False blankets, rose algorithm; the man descended some stairs and cached several years of our lives; it was intended. I practiced a speech to certain men: You are small and I will pluck your mouths and plant them in a river where no one can hear what you think.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Literary Hub.
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