Punctuation creates rests at the end of poetic lines, interrupting the flow of the poem for dramatic pauses that produce an ebb-and-flow effect. In contrast, enjambment, or the lack of grammatical or punctuating end-line rest, means that readers do not pause at the end of a line and must instead read the next one to understand the complete thought.

While most of the poem’s lines close with some mark of punctuation, its closing lines shatter that division. Lines 14-17 work together to create a single thought, using enjambment to allow these lines to flow one into the other exactly as the poem celebrates the energy of people coming together and the power of defying division and boundaries. The punctuation marks in these lines create mid-line pauses that help readers process ideas without dispelling the effect of enjambment. Moreover, the dash in Line 16 functions like a bridge uniting the two thoughts that close the poem. Form thus becomes theme.