How does Yusef Komunyakaa use imagery in Ode to a Drum?

In Lines 17-29, the gazelle, though no longer in the form of an animal, has begun to take the form of the drum. One more thing to note in these lines is the imagery of the predator that makes its first appearance in the poem. The drum maker compares the lashes he is tightening to "bowstrings." Up to this point, the gazelle has been the prey; from this point forward in the poem, it will gradually become the predator.