A grounding line is a specific verse within a poem that serves to anchor the reader emotionally, thematically, or rhythmically, often by reintroducing a stable image, returning to a central motif, or reestablishing metrical regularity after experimental or disorienting passages; it functions as a poetic tether, offering clarity or reassurance amidst complexity, as seen in modernist works where a sudden plain-spoken line interrupts abstraction to reorient the reader’s interpretive stance.

Grounding line: A line in a poem that establishes a clear, concrete, or undeniable reality, serving as a point of reference or stability against more abstract or volatile ideas; it grounds the poem's thought.