From the Desk: Keeping your story straight.
“He was deranged, he was… lunatic.
He didn’t seem to like me very much.
He had threatened to kill me in public.”
“Why would he want to kill you in public?”
“I think she meant he threatened,
in public, to kill her.” “Oh.”
That’s right, I just lineated dialog from Clue. Found poem. I found it. Mine. Copywrite copyright copyrite cop-e-wright kah-pee-rye’t.
But the point is, confusion can be caused by even correct phrasing. By saying “He was deranged, he was… lunatic. He didn’t seem to like me very much. He had threatened to kill me in public.” Mrs. White had correctly asserted that her deceased husband had, as Colonel Mustard explained here to Miss Scarlet, in public, threatened to kill her. 
As in around a bunch of other people, most likely strangers. However, if that was the case, a pause, or comma should be in place, or perhaps if you absolutely despise punctuation in your poetry, maybe because you saw the photo on the back of Rain in the Trees and decided you’d dedicate your life to be like a man with such wavy locks, but whatever the reason, a line break could add that half-pause of enjambment that would isolate the “in public” from the threatening. The best course of action, when at all possible, is to rephrase. For instance, “He had threatened to kill my in public” could be reworded to “He had publicly threatened to kill me.” and it would remove any confusion.
It may not seem like a big deal, but as a reader for journals, when you’re discussing the piece with other readers, and as much time is spent discussing the meaning of a small passage as the merits of its imagery, 9 times out of 10 it doesn’t make it in. So if it’s in your interest to avoid general confusion, as it generally should be, watch your phrasing carefully for ambiguity. And when that ambiguity is too perfect to not call attention to, only then enjoy the linguistic pleasure.