[Taylor514ce]

The previous does have rules... it's a Japanese form called "Tanka", and outside of all the little technicalities of the form, one central component is the concept of a "turn". The poem should turn, twist, shift, somehow. The turn typically occurs in the fourth line. In this case, the "turn" is from past tense to present tense, which is meant to add an unwritten, implied emotional jolt. (Why did they say goodbye? How'd the earrings get lost? Are they saying goodbye again? Why does "he" have the earrings now?)