Corinne Bowen

For a couple weeks I’ve been meaning to blog, but failed each time I sat down to write. Tonight, I’ve decided to just see what happens, building on the inspiration I found in Kris Carr’s news(love)letter and Allie Larkin’s blog. They have one powerful thing in common — lists. There’s nothing like a good old list to get your head straight. Especially when you’ve been stitching together sentences and paragraphs to create a story and your brain has turned to mush. Here’s what has injected inspiration and motivation into my life over the past couple weeks (in no particular order):

1. This may just be a coincidence, but I’d like to think it’s something else…While combing my brain for blog ideas, e.e. cummings popped into my mind and I started to reminisce about my love for his poetry, remembering when Steve and I had just met. We own e.e.’s 100 Selected Poems and I decided to search our many bookshelves for it. I didn’t find it in the office, so I trekked downstairs and pulled it from the bookshelf. Note: While walking downstairs I thought, “Hm, it might be in the basement. Maybe my wonderful husband will go into that cold damp room and find it.” As I pulled it from the shelf, Steve told me he had seen it downstairs this morning and decided it needed to be placed in our brand new bookshelf in the living room. He also remarked that he had been thinking about a certain poem throughout the day. A poem that just happened to be the one I was looking at…

somewhere i have never travelled,gladly beyond
any experience,your eyes have their silence:
in your most frail gesture are things which enclose me,
or which i cannot touch because they are too near

your slightest look easily will unclose me
though i have closed myself as fingers,
you open always petal by petal myself as Spring opens
(touching skilfully,mysteriously)her first rose

or if your wish be to close me, i and
my life will shut very beautifully ,suddenly,
as when the heart of this flower imagines
the snow carefully everywhere descending;

nothing which we are to perceive in this world equals
the power of your intense fragility:whose texture
compels me with the color of its countries,
rendering death and forever with each breathing

(i do not know what it is about you that closes
and opens;only something in me understands
the voice of your eyes is deeper than all roses)
nobody,not even the rain,has such small hands

Each time I read one of e.e.’s poems, I am baffled by his ability to describe the human experience in a way that is both accessible and genius, while using so few words.

2. Magical things happen when I find clarity, which is why I completed three lists (with pen and paper!) today. I answered three questions: What do you love about life today? What lights your board? Where will you be a year from now? No doubts, negativity, or nay-saying allowed.

3. I started working on Book 2 again. Just reading the first three chapters filled me with excitement for this new project.

4. I watched a bunch of Vlog Brothers videos. John and Hank Green are two of the most innovative, funny, and smart people I’ve ever encountered.

5. Thank you Stephanie Perkins for recommending this film! So beautiful! Watch the trailer for Bright Star…chills, right?

What has inspired you lately?

I need to start out by saying that the Genny Cream Ale pictured above was not mine. Steve has a lot of hometown pride, thus the chance to drink Cream Ale from a can is not often passed up when we’re in Charm City. While we’re on the subject of my super cool husband, I’d also like to point out that he went out of his way after his short trip to NYC to meet me in Rhinecliff on Friday after my week in Woodstock.

I met up him with him in town, we had dinner, stopped at an amazing bookstore and then he took the wheel. It’s moments like these that make me realize how darn lucky I got when I snagged him. He was actually happy to see me after sitting on a park bench all day waiting for me to get out of work! He drove us all the way home and let me use the time to work on my novel.

We spent the weekend wandering around Baltimore and checking out our favorite places to get grub (Rocket to Venus, Liquid Earth, One World Cafe). I also got a lot more writing done. I’m pretty happy with the progress I’ve made on my second draft. I’m about 1/4 through. For the first time, I’ve given it to a couple of people to read (other than Steve). It’s a relief to know he isn’t the only person that likes where it’s going, which gives me the boost of confidence I need to push forward! I hope to make some decent progress while writing in the car this weekend, since we’re driving to Michigan for a wedding. This marks the first of four weddings we’ll be attending over the next two months. Lotta love.

On a completely different note, I met up with some friends on Sunday to watch True Blood, then watched it again last night with Steve (not that I minded). It just keeps getting better! I can’t get those characters out of my head! I’ll say it again, Alan Ball is a genius. Can’t wait til this Sunday! Only three episodes left…hopefully Charlaine will have another book out by then. She’s got three more to go!

Top Left: My secretary, Thomas.

Top Right: Evening walk with Steve, cats spotted on side of house.

Middle Left: Paper lanterns swaying above our two-year wedding anniversary dinner on Charles St.

Middle Right: Candle, illuminating Vegan Cake menu item. Anniversary dessert.

Bottom Left: Post-anniversary dessert stroll. Antique storefront, The Avenue.

Bottom Right: Lost Parrot. Seen him?

Two years of marriage, thirteen years of love. Happy, I am.