Imagery and metaphors

Imagery

Imagery, which here broadly refers to figurative language designed to be visually descriptive, is mostly created in the poem “please don’t take my air jordans” by Reg E. Gaines in relation to action, movement and the Air Jordan sneakers. For instance, the poet makes it easier for us to imagine the dying youngster in the following passage by using visual and sensory imagery:

took off fast but didn't get far
i fired (POW) he fell between two parked cars
he was coughin/cryin/blood dripped on the street
and i snatched them air jordans off a his feet” (ll. 45-48)

Note also the way the shoes are depicted, from the perspective of the speaker:

they were q-tip white bright and blinded my eyes
the red emblem of michael looked as if it could fly
not one spot of dirt the airs were brand new (ll. 37-39)

The overall imagery of the poem is also constructed using definite tropes or figures of speech, some of which we outline below:

Similes and comparisons

Three similes are employed in the poem. The first one is a ...