They say it is the line and where it is broken that provides the rhythm of a poem.  The longer the line, the more the poem sounds like natural speech.  Poets break lines for different reasons. Here are some: according to their natural breathing to emphasize a particular or words to create tension to change the pace of the poem The original version of this poem had longer lines and fewer line breaks. I was not completely happy with the outcome. It sounded a bit slow and pedestrian. The theme of my poem is not relaxed along with the focus of the writing, Leon. This made for a mismatch. In revising the poem, I needed to build more tension and increase the pace for the reader. So, you will notice my poem has quite short lines throughout the entire poem. I did this to create a greater sense of urgency around Leon's story. The poem is loosely based on a childhood memory of a kid I used to know. All our writing is informed by our lives, if we are open to these i...