Catachresis
Catachresis: A figure of speech where a word or phrase is used in a way that departs from its typical meaning, often to describe something for which there is no exact term. It involves the borrowing of a word to fill a gap in language, creating a metaphorical or unconventional usage
“The legs of a table” (borrowing legs from anatomy).
“The foot of a mountain” (borrowing foot from the human body).

In poetry, catachresis allows for inventive and striking imagery, enabling poets to describe concepts or objects in fresh and unconventional ways. It often bridges the gap between literal and figurative language, contributing to the richness and creativity of poetic expression.

Tarred Birds of Islam

A sky is fitted with bars where flight should be.
Bright birds arrive—feathers of saffron, turquoise, coral—
but cloth is poured on them like tar.

Their spirits kept in rooms boarded shut,
their songs unsung through throats of glass.
Barbed wire forces the grammar of submission.

Black tar covers all their colors
heavy loads fastened to their backs.
Feathers—once lighter than wind—
are plucked into the dust of the courtyard.

Law ties their beaks with barbed wire,
closing every window facing the open horizon.
Even the sun wears a veil of smoke,
as if daylight itself were instructed not to look.

And the birds—
color still beating under the dark—
They carry their song in their ribs,
though their voices are knots tied around their necks.