Rockettes and Ghazals

Saw the Radio City Christmas Spectacular yesterday afternoon with my sister, brother-in-law and two nieces, H who is five, and L who is one. The show was not as enjoyable as I hoped. The Scenes, as they were called, were lavish, but not very imaginative. That left the dancing, by the Rockettes. I thought the choreography was so-so, the range of emotions limited, and when the famous precision was less than precise, what was left? This sounds more disappointing than I actually felt, sitting in that grand theater, with its scalloped proscenium stage. Both H and L were captivated throughout. I thought H showed some taste when she said her favorite scene was the first, the one with the Rockettes dancing as reindeer, and pulling Santa's sleigh. It was fresh and fun then, before it felt like more of the same.

Precision and innovation. Watchwords for my ghazal sequence too. Sometimes surface precision can overshadow deep innovation. I think the full sequence of my ghazals will garner extreme reactions. That is to the good. Five of them have been published in PN Review 191, along with poems by John Ashbery, Jeffrey Wainright, James Womack, Chris Peddle, Linda Gregerson, Fiona Sampson, Robert Gray, Fleur Adcock, and Elaine Feinstein. Buy a copy at the bookstore or subscribe online.

Comments

Anonymous said…
PN Review will need a new outlet in the UK. The collapse of Borders into administration was bad news for poetry journals over here. I look forward to reading the chosen sequence. Best wishes
11:13 AM
Jee Leong said…
Not sure if I understand "the collapse of Borders into administration." Thanks, Eshu, for looking out for the ghazals.

Jee
11:23 AM
Eric Norris said…
I think "collapse into administration" in this case may mean bankruptcy...

[Congratulations, sir, on the ghazals!]
4:31 PM
Jee Leong said…
Thanks for explaining. I've never heard the term before.
6:11 PM
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