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Poets are like magicians - they have a few tricks up their sleeves to transform ordinary words describing people, places, things and ideas into fresh visions.
They use special techniques to create images to mesmerise their readers and draw them into the poem.
These poetic devices are called similes, metaphors, personification and alliteration.
Similes
A simile is a descriptive way of comparing one thing to another using the words 'like' or 'as'. Similes help poets create vivid images that make their writing more powerful.
For example, 'He ran like the wind' is more descriptive than 'He ran fast'. It paints a picture of someone racing at top speed with the wind at his back.
Here's a short poem illustrating the use of similes.
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