In the poem "​Double Dutch​" by ​Gregory Pardlo​, the use of literary comparisons, or 

similes and metaphors, aid the reader in fully comprehending the imagery of the poem, 
bring said imagery to a level that would be otherwise impossible. He weaves these 
similes and metaphors throughout the poem to create a vivid frame of reference for the 
actions of the girls. 

There is hardly a line within this poem that does not have some form of comparison. 
The girls are described as alike to "​boxers pulling punches, shadowing each other,​" and 
their movements are described as being like "​jumping rope in low gravity, training for a 
lunar mission.​" These simple similes convey the otherwise indescribable grace of the 
flowing movements of the jumpers. Most importantly, they allow the reader to imagine 
exactly what is being described since they are evoked using phrases that can generally 
be universally imagined with relative ease. His descriptions do not simply stop there, 
either. ​Pardlo​ also illustrates the surroundings, and the effects of the girls' actions 
thereof, with the same technique. The final sentence of the poem states that "​she 
makes jewelry of herself and garlands the ground with shadows.​" Such a description 
allows the reader to imagine long, graceful, large shadows projected across the ground 
around the girls. Even actions are described using a subtle metaphor that brings the 
exact image of what ​Pardlo​ is describing to the forefront of the imagination. For 
example, ​Pardlo​ states that "​the bells tied to her shoestrings rouse[d] the gods who've 
lain in the dust since the Dutch acquired Manhattan.​" While this specific example does 
not necessarily provide a concrete frame of reference for the reader, it does convey the 
emotional weight and significance of these girls' jump-roping. It compares it to an item 
that could rouse the gods. While that may be a wholly nebulous object, it does carry with 
it the exact significance of such an object, passing it on the bells attached to this girl's 
shoestrings. ...