Help me identify metaphors or any other figurative language? Is this entire poem a metaphor?

They say silence is Golden, I believe it to true,
Because in that Golden silence, my thoughts occur of
you
You are the flame in my candle that lights the darkness
of my room,
You are the scented flowers that makes my heart full
bloom,
You are the butterflies that flicker in my stomach all
day long,
When I know I will be holding you before my day is
done
You are the stars that shimmer and shine,
You light up the skies above
In this Golden silence it's truly you I love.
You are the thunder of the night, your lightning strikes
whenever,
Into my soul that makes me whole, and excites my heart
forever
You are my paradise, my oceans wide,
My mountains standing tall,
So in this Golden Silence I love you most of all.

1 Answer
Mar 22, 2018

Wow - there's a lot here.

Explanation:

The writer is comparing his/her beloved to many different things:

You are:
the flame in my candle
the scented flowers that ...
the butterflies that ...
the stars that shimmer
the thunder of the night
my paradise . . . my oceans wide
my mountains standing tall

A simile makes a comparison using "like" or "as"; a metaphor does not use these words.

I would call the above examples metaphors.

This one:
"your lightning strikes . . . into my soul . . .". What could this one be?

Not a simile - no "like" or "as".

A metaphor ? The author isn't saying she is lightning. He says she has lightning (or the power to produce it) which is able to strike him.

How about Imagery - described on this web site:
https://literarydevices.net/figurative-language/
as:

The "use of figurative language to represent objects, actions, and ideas in such a way that it appeals to our physical senses."
And:
"imagery makes use of particular words that create a visual representation of ideas in our minds."

The web site lists and describes many different kinds of figurative language.

Try this one, too:
https://quizlet.com/6689426/7-types-of-figurative-language-flash-cards/
It's less wordy.

I wouldn't say that the whole poem is a metaphor, but that's the main device it uses.