Introducing "Omitted"

Before I begin, I would like to share a few words about this poem. Omitted was originally written for Caesura Volume 9, whose theme was “Redacted.” The theme immediately drew me in because it invited reflection on what is concealed, erased, censored, o

r left unsaid. I became interested in the idea that absence can be just as meaningful as presence, and that what is removed from a story often continues to shape it.

Through this poem, I sought to explore the spaces between memory and silence, and to consider how omission influences the way we understand ourselves and others. Omitted is ultimately a meditation on what remains after something has been crossed out, hidden, or deliberately left behind. I am honored to have shared it today, having originally written it for Caesura and presented it as part of the Bar Sagi Awards poetry recital.

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-- Shada W. Shamma