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This is the needed transition in carrying a poem to your readers and giving them a reason to be glad you did. Readers of poetry aren't looking for reasons not to like what they read; on the contrary, they are looking for that edge, that sensation only a well crafted poem can evoke. If we take our poems to others, it makes no sense to declare that we don't care whether they like it or not. Of course we do. Even our best efforts won't guarantee us rave reviews every time. But, nonetheless, the effort will show and so will a lack of it. Keeping the reader in mind when revising your initial thoughts can only benefit the finished poem.

Lastly, never feel so attached to your own words that you are above revision. All good literature of any genre' must be thoroughly edited. Sometimes we must even part with a favored word or phrase when it is the overall poem's best interest. Sooner or later it must be about the poem and not about our need to verbalize.

Finding the balance between the poet's personal needs and the reader's expectations is a task everyone who has ever written poetry had faced. There is no "formula" for crafting the perfect poem, so we must be diligent in studying to know this art and having the desire to write our best poetry, even when that means taking a step back and allowing it to grow on others.