Rhetorical Question:

Rhetorical question is a literary device asked not for the answer but for the effect. Mostly rhetorical questions are asked in a poem to make the audience think.

The poet has used this device in the following line.

What is a good metaphor for a woman who loves in a time like this?

Here, the poet has asked a question to readers to think about, which can act as a good metaphor for a woman who carries all the emotions and continues to love.

Irony:

Irony is a literary device in which the poet talks about one thing and really means another. It results in the clash between the intended meaning and their literary words.

The poet has used verbal irony in the following lines.

I am neither nor romanced by the streetlamp nor candlelight;

my hands are not an iron, but look, they’re hot, look

Juxtaposition:

Juxtaposition is a literary device in which two unrelated things are kept together to show their difference.

The poet has used this literary device in the following lines.

I am no scalpel or high thread count sheet. Not a gavel, or hand-painted teacup.

Here, “scalpel” means a knife with small sharpness whereas “high thread count sheet” refers to the sheet made of thin threads.

In the next line, “gavel” means hammer, whereas it is kept together with a painted tea cup.

Thus in these lines  the poet has kept two unrelated things together.

Alliteration:

Alliteration is a literary device in which certain sounds are repeated at the beginning of words in a sentence or phrase.

The poet has used this literary device in the following line.

And although I am a poet, I am not the bullet;

Apostrophe:

Apostrophe is a literary device in which the speaker addresses someone who is absent or inhumane in nature.

The poet has used this device in the following lines.

What is a good metaphor for a woman who loves in a time like this?

Here, the poet is asking a question to the readers.

my hands are not an iron, but look, they’re hot, look

Iron Summary

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