Poetic devices are literary tools used in poetry to create rhythm, enhance meaning, or intensify a mood or feeling. They are a composite of structural, grammatical, rhythmic, metrical, verbal, and visual elements. Poetic devices can be used to heighten the literal meaning of words by considering sound, form, and function. There are hundreds, possibly even thousands, of different literary devices open to poets, some of them very obscure having not been used for centuries. Here are some of the most commonly used poetic devices:

• Alliteration: Repeated consonant sounds at the beginning of words placed near each other, usually on the same or adjacent lines. Alliteration is used as a mnemonic device to evoke feelings such as fear and suspense in poetry.

• Assonance: Repeated vowel sounds in words placed near each other, usually on the same or adjacent lines. Assonance is used to create internal rhyming within phrases or sentences, and to create a sense of rhythm in poetry.

• Metaphor: A comparison between two unlike things, without using the words "like" or "as". Metaphors are used to create imagery and to convey complex ideas in a simple way.

• Simile: A comparison between two unlike things, using the words "like" or "as". Similes are used to create imagery and to convey complex ideas in a simple way.

• Personification: Giving human qualities to non-human things. Personification is used to create imagery and to convey complex ideas in a simple way.

• Rhyme: The repetition of similar sounds in two or more words. Rhyme is used to create a sense of rhythm and to make a poem more memorable.

• Repetition: The repeating of words, phrases, or lines. Repetition is used to create a sense of rhythm and to emphasize a particular idea or feeling.

• Imagery: The use of vivid and descriptive language to create mental images. Imagery is used to create a sense of atmosphere and to convey complex ideas in a simple way.

• Hyperbole: Exaggeration for effect. Hyperbole is used to create a sense of drama and to emphasize a particular idea or feeling.

• Irony: The use of words to convey a meaning that is opposite of its literal meaning. Irony is used to create a sense of humor and to convey complex ideas in a simple way.

These are just a few examples of the many poetic devices that poets use to create meaning and emotion in their work.