The Unspoken Verse: Margot Kahn's Profound Omission from Her Poetic Collection

In the intricate tapestry of a poet's career, sometimes the most profound statements are found not in what is included, but in what is deliberately left out. Such is the compelling narrative of Margot Kahn, whose acclaimed collection, "Tenancy," grapples with themes of grief, memory, and the elusive concept of home.

Yet, nestled within the creative process was a deeply personal and ethical struggle over a single poem, a piece titled "Instructions for a School Shooting," which ultimately found itself excluded from the final publication.

Kahn's journey with this particular poem began in the raw aftermath of the Sandy Hook tragedy.

Like many, she was moved by an overwhelming need to respond, to articulate the unspeakable horror and the collective grief that gripped a nation. Her intention was clear: to craft a poem that would connect the reader viscerally to the event, a "how-to" guide that, through its very structure, would expose the grotesque absurdity and devastating impact of such violence.

The poem was written, and for a time, it was considered a part of her forthcoming collection.

However, as time passed and Kahn refined her work, a gnawing unease began to settle in. She started to question the poem's true purpose and its ethical implications. Was it genuinely contributing to understanding, or was it, in some subtle way, exploiting the very trauma it sought to address? She grappled with the fine line between empathy and sensationalism, between a heartfelt artistic response and an inadvertently exploitative gesture.

The poem, in her own words, felt "too easy" in its immediate, shocking effect, lacking the deeper, more nuanced resonance she strived for in her poetry.

The decision to omit "Instructions for a School Shooting" was anything but simple. It was a painstaking, internal battle that challenged her identity as a poet and her understanding of artistic responsibility.

Kahn meticulously examined whether the poem truly served its ethical function, whether it offered solace or insight rather than merely re-traumatizing or, worse, capitalizing on suffering. This profound self-interrogation led her to conclude that the poem, despite its powerful origins, did not align with the integrity she wished to imbue in "Tenancy."

This act of omission became a pivotal moment for Kahn.

It highlighted that the curatorial process of compiling a poetry collection is not just about selecting the best verses, but also about making conscious, ethical choices about what stories deserve to be told and how they are presented. For Kahn, the removal of this poem was an affirmation of her commitment to a poetry that is not only compelling but also deeply responsible and humanistic.

It underscores the ongoing dialogue within the artistic community about the moral obligations that come with bearing witness to tragedy and transforming it into art, reminding us that sometimes, the most courageous act of all is knowing when to hold back a piece of one's heart, for the greater good.