Photos from Rachel J Bowler

Destination

nobody@ipernity.com (Rachel J Bowler) — Mon, 07 Sep 2026 12:57:23 +0000

I've been here before
Memories hardly remembered,
Rushed past
Without detail,
Only recalled
Because I am here
Again,
In between journeys,
At a standstill.
Now I am sitting
Here in thought,
I notice
So much more,
But it makes
No difference.

Diversion

nobody@ipernity.com (Rachel J Bowler) — Mon, 07 Sep 2026 12:35:10 +0000

Rachel J Bowler has posted:

The turning was made
Efficiently and precisely,
The gridlock visible
From the road.
When passing by
Houses and houses
That had seen
Better days,
In the vacant seat
Next to me
A benevolent spirit
Gazed forwards.

I lost count of all
The bridges
I passed under
Before I caught
A glimpse of you
Through the window
In the shimmering
Water
At the end of the world.

I arrived at
The destination
But could not find
A way to cross over,
So I spent a few
Hours in your
Presence,
On the deserted
Beach,
Before heading back
To the place
I was unsure
Was home.

Cloud Illusions

nobody@ipernity.com (Rachel J Bowler) — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 20:38:16 +0000

Rachel J Bowler has posted:

At the point of convergence
Between time and eternity,
Light pierces the clouds,
And possibility
Refracts
For a moment.
As the reminder lingers,
I lean into the brevity
Of the story,
Until the sun
Shines hot
Once more.

Winter Tapestry

nobody@ipernity.com (Rachel J Bowler) — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 22:58:06 +0000

Rachel J Bowler has posted:

Who am I?
Pieces of the past.
The stain on the wall.
The one who loved too much.
Sunlight in the darkened room.
The shadow in the corner.
The mystery unsolved,
And the one solved
Long ago.
The tree in winter.
I am all
And I am nothing
Waiting for the night to come.

Lost

nobody@ipernity.com (Rachel J Bowler) — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 22:07:06 +0000

Rachel J Bowler has posted:

On this dusty hillside
Every sign I see says 'Lost'
Placed there long ago
Not just meant for me,
Set in bold and
Written over
Where 'Home'
Used to be.
But this was never
Home to me.

Thespians

nobody@ipernity.com (Rachel J Bowler) — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 14:53:29 +0000

Rachel J Bowler has posted:

Shall I compare thee
To a summer’s day? Alright –
Thou art pretty hot.

Shakespearian Haiku by Brian Bilston

Daylight

nobody@ipernity.com (Rachel J Bowler) — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 20:23:57 +0000

Rachel J Bowler has posted:

Before I wake
You reach
Through the mist,
Into
The past,
Resting on
Numb acceptance,
Before fading
As quickly
As the hour
Into the years.

Time

nobody@ipernity.com (Rachel J Bowler) — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 17:20:54 +0000

Rachel J Bowler has posted:

The tide slips backwards.
The ripples circle inwards.
Memory is shifting.
Photos on the wall.
Music is playing
The noise of a party.
Voices I once knew.

The river flows away.
The rain falls upwards.
The room once warm is now cold.
Childhood toys,
Are scattered on the floor.
The sun rises and glistens.
Through the window
Of the living room.
Where my father sits.

The tears flow upwards.
The sink fills downwards.
The cat once found is lost.
There is laughter.
I listen from my room upstairs.

August becomes July.
The clock chimes five then four.
The shed becomes a greenhouse,
We all sit on the bench.
There is more laughter
But I’m not there.

Old grows young.
The puddle sinks upwards.
The beach once full
Is now empty.
I remember this beach.
I should never have come back.

The robins disappear.
The sun rises from the west.
I am watching through
The bars of my cot.
I hold on to them
And I won’t let go
I won’t let go.

Already Dark

nobody@ipernity.com (Rachel J Bowler) — Sun, 22 Mar 2026 21:36:01 +0000

Rachel J Bowler has posted:

You showed me the sunset
On a day you said
Would never end.
I walked across an
Ocean of snow
Barefoot.
I made it to
The edge.
But it was already dark,
Before the sunrise
Before the morning star
Obscured the view
Of days already done
Long ago.

Song of the Sea: Epilogue

nobody@ipernity.com (Rachel J Bowler) — Sun, 11 Jan 2026 13:21:18 +0000

Rachel J Bowler has posted:

Across the sea
A thousand swords
Forged in the sun
Gather.
Uniform, abstract.
Their silent dance
Mesmerises, and
Avalon ascends
For a moment,
Refracting in
A myth once glimpsed,
Sucked in to a sanctuary
Of destruction.

Sinking back into
Victorian benches,
The wood calms,
And I look back
Towards the town,
Where the old soldier
Watches
From his wheelchair.

Wintering

nobody@ipernity.com (Rachel J Bowler) — Sun, 11 Jan 2026 11:56:55 +0000

Rachel J Bowler has posted:

Leave us in peace, the trees cry out. Kill us not.
The vandal wind has already tried.
When the people arrived, there was
Lamentation, of sorts, for a while,
But most just walked by,
Treading on our bones.
The dead leaves fall,
And keep falling.
Take some to
Write on if you
Will, before
The thunder
Storm
Comes
Once
More.

Barely alive, kept almost
Freezing, we remain.

Merry Christmas

nobody@ipernity.com (Rachel J Bowler) — Fri, 19 Dec 2025 22:33:11 +0000

Rachel J Bowler has posted:

It was Christmas Eve, babe
In the drunk tank
An old man said to me, "Won't see another one"
And then he sang a song
The Rare Old Mountain Dew
I turned my face away
And dreamed about you.

Got on a lucky one
Came in eighteen-to-one
I've got a feeling
This year's for me and you
So happy Christmas
I love you, baby
I can see a better time
When all our dreams come true...

From Fairytale of New York
Jem Finer and Shane MacGowan

Song of the Sea: Defences

nobody@ipernity.com (Rachel J Bowler) — Wed, 19 Nov 2025 17:39:35 +0000

Rachel J Bowler has posted:

Grey rocks
Carefully arranged,
The patterns we make
Important to ourselves.
Defiant as a child.

Behind where I stand
Even higher concrete walls
Have been placed
So that we can enjoy
The view of our
Delusion.

But no longer
Do we often look.
Standing as far
Back as possible.

No one tolerates
The storm
Any longer.

Ignoring the swell
We try to filter out
The noise
Ringing in our ears
From a distance,
Waiting to crash
Into our defences.
It's hard work.

But the storm
Always finds a way
Somehow.

Song of the Sea: Years

nobody@ipernity.com (Rachel J Bowler) — Wed, 12 Nov 2025 21:03:05 +0000

Rachel J Bowler has posted:

Friends and family
Had disappeared,
Into the memories
Of seashells
And candyfloss,
Into the notes
Of the music at
The end of the pier.
Into the penny arcade,
Into the sand
Beneath your feet,
Into the heat
Of the day,
Into an ocean
Full of longing.

Maybe I ran past
You on the beach
Many years ago
With spade in hand,
Towards the end.

Dreamer

nobody@ipernity.com (Rachel J Bowler) — Sat, 08 Nov 2025 21:12:02 +0000

Rachel J Bowler has posted:

Wisdom hides in the mist, imperceptible.
Words flow as cliches,
Images repeated.
Strangers on the same road,
Follow a trail of
Sodden, windswept threads,
Looking for the sound of their own heart.
These words are true, but
None make a difference.

Song of the Sea: Statistics

nobody@ipernity.com (Rachel J Bowler) — Sun, 02 Nov 2025 22:38:46 +0000

Rachel J Bowler has posted:

Crisis estimates that £1.9 billion would be needed to completely eradicate homelessness in the UK. This cost includes various aspects such as providing affordable housing, support services, and mental health assistance.

As of 2025, there are over 3 million millionaires, and 156 billionaires in the UK.

The Church of England has a large endowment of £8.7 billion which generates approximately £1 billion a year in income.

Song of the Sea: Shelter

nobody@ipernity.com (Rachel J Bowler) — Sun, 02 Nov 2025 22:23:21 +0000

Rachel J Bowler has posted:

When the rain poured down
I ran to a seafront shelter.
You were already there.
I thought you were a resident
Of a local old people's home.
I looked over towards you and nodded.
I expected someone to come for you
But no one came, and time passed.
The rain offered no respite.
I looked at you again, and saw
The carrier bags at your feet.

I bought you some food
And made some calls.
But still no-one came.
Everyone already knew you were there.
No hotel or B&B would take you.
You told me your story
As SUVs drove by.

On my birthday
All I could be was half
A Samaritan.
I stayed until dusk.
The next day I was told
That you had moved on.

Ode to the Frost

nobody@ipernity.com (Rachel J Bowler) — Sat, 01 Nov 2025 22:05:00 +0000

Rachel J Bowler has posted:

The soft tread
Of your footsteps
Did not surprise me
That winter's day.

Disappearing behind trees
The sun made no attempt
To follow.
And you said nothing,
So he conspired
Whilst you made
Fractals.

It was then,
Without shelter
And far from home,
I began walking
The shadow
Dappled path.
Through the years.

Winter Morning

nobody@ipernity.com (Rachel J Bowler) — Sat, 01 Nov 2025 21:22:10 +0000

Rachel J Bowler has posted:

Holding a ladder
She sang
And you saw.
Then, climbing
Right past
With a swag bag,
Your ghost made
No footprints
In the frost,
As she watched
The frozen sunset
Slip behind
The brightest day.

Clarity

nobody@ipernity.com (Rachel J Bowler) — Sat, 01 Nov 2025 20:56:02 +0000

Rachel J Bowler has posted:

Compelling.
Intangible.
Still wrapped
In obscurity
After all
These years.

Es freue sich
Der da atmet
Im rosigten licht.