Which literary device is "the only place to put the pieces were the bags under my eyes"?

Question

I am writing a few paragraphs about Rupi Kaur's poetry. I've been trying to think about which literary device is used in this example.

In milk and honey, written by Rupi Kaur, she states:

"the night after you left / i woke up so broken / the only place to put the pieces / were the bags under my eyes"

I've been wondering about this for a bit and I know it would be quite a simple question to answer. I apologize for this. I'm thinking it might be a metaphor or an idiom. Please correct me if I'm wrong!

@YosefBaskin "Bags under [one's] eyes" is a common phrase in AmE. Putting pieces there is another story. — MarcInManhattan, Dec 14 '22 at 02:39
I'm American. This is a pun on two meanings of bags. Those under the eyes are not metaphorical. — Yosef Baskin, Dec 14 '22 at 14:07
Does this answer your question? What is the difference between metonymy and synecdoche? — livresque, Jun 03 '23 at 07:40
@YosefBaskin To save this being closed, that's an answer worth giving. — Greybeard, Jun 03 '23 at 08:55

score 1 · Answer 1 · answered Jan 03 '23 at 17:05

1

It could also be hyperbole. After being left, the speaker had such terrible sleep that the bags under her eyes were large enough to hold the metaphorical "pieces".

answered Jan 03 '23 at 17:05

ILEM World

207

Which literary device is "the only place to put the pieces were the bags under my eyes"?

1 Answers1