Michael Heller, a poet with a fifty-year career, showcases a diverse range of free verse in his selection of poetry. His work encompasses various forms such as short enjambed lines, long Whitmanesque lines, and prose poetry. Heller draws inspiration from poets like Charles Olson and William Carlos Williams, experimenting with open forms and loose associations. His poems reflect a deep awareness of how social and historical contexts can impact language, as seen in lines like: “But also now, to sense mind harrowed in defeats of language, Bosnia, Rwanda, wherever human speech goes under a knife.”
Influenced by Objectivist poets like George Oppen, Heller views language as a structure rather than a mere expression of emotions. While his poetics are more expansive, he shares the Objectivists’ focus on clarity and precision in portraying subjects. Language’s deliberate examination runs as a consistent theme throughout his work.
Though Heller’s work centers around language, it goes beyond that. In his poem “Colloquia,” he highlights how naming brings phenomena into existence: “World, world,’ you wrote, as though martyred to the visible, the words one chose would have to say it.” The interchangeability of “word” and “world” demonstrates a deeper connection between language and the cosmos.
Heller’s early poems set the groundwork for his exploration of visionary language. They caution against the erosion of self through words but ultimately construct a voice that distinguishes self from the external world. His later works delve into the limits and possibilities of language, with poems from “Exigent Features” showcasing an increased rhetorical complexity and introspection.
By challenging the relationship between language and reality, Heller’s poetry evolves over time, unraveling the intricate dynamics between the two. His collection unfolds as a progression of his artistic journey, guiding readers through a contemplation of language’s role in shaping perceptions and interpretations of the world. Through clear imagery and an intricate argument, Heller’s poems offer a profound reflection on the power and nuances of language.
