Figurative language uses words in a nonliteral way to create comparisons, images, or emotional effects. Instead of stating something plainly, a poet may use metaphor, simile, personification, hyperbole, or other figures of speech to suggest meaning and make the poem more expressive.
It helps a poem say more than its literal words alone, often by linking one idea to another in a fresh or surprising way.
Example
The moon was a silver coin in the sky,
counting out light across the sleeping street.
The wind, a restless thief, slipped through the trees
and stole the last warm breath from evening.