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About Time is the national newspaper for Australian prisons and detention facilities

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ISSUE NO. 21

April 2026

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Poetry

Apocalypse of the Mind

By

Emma-lee

Emma-lee writes from a prison in QLD.

Akram Huseyn via Unsplash

I sit here watching the second-hand ticking by

as it slowly keeps passing my time...

And just as I thought the world can’t be changed it an apocalypse of the mind,

Like a spark causes a flame, then a light will ignite,

Then suddenly I’m pulling a ton of stress with me,

Seems these days all I’m trying to do is get people to help me to forgive myself,

Now I should have seen the signs it’s an apocalypse of the mind,

And don’t have me mistaken I would have pressed rewind if I could,

But it seemed fast forward was just as good.

And don’t have me misunderstood I would’ve pressed stop if I could,

I’m so sick of being sick,

So sick of doing shit wrong,

Seems like the best end is a brand-new beginning,

The opposite to a life full of loss, is a brand-new life full of winning,

Cognition destroyed and re-designed it’s an Apocalypse of the mind,

Every breath a blessing,

Every step a gift,

Seems these day’s people forgetting how precious life really is,

Now I could sit back and say I’ve had it rough,

But really it’s 2 in 3 that have it tough,

You can sit there and deny,

But I’ll walk through life with my head held high,

Time to stand up and identify,

I was always too nice,

Didn’t think I could suffice,

No more listening to bad advice,

Gotta step up in life,

Become a mother and a wife,

Put a footprint on this reality,

Make for a better society,

Because seeing that smile embraced on his face,

Is all I need to rid my mind of the world’s disgrace,

No point in me sitting back and having a cry,

About all the things in life I cannot rectify,

So sick of being sick,

So sick of doing shit wrong,

Sometimes the best end is a brand-new beginning,

The opposite to a world full of loss,

Is a world full of winning,

Cognition destroyed and re-designed,

It’s an apocalypse of the mind,

So no matter what I might know,

No matter what I might say,

I’m just a matter of words,

In a matter of thoughts,

So prepare to have your mind blown.

I sit here watching the second-hand ticking by

as it slowly keeps passing my time...

And just as I thought the world can’t be changed it an apocalypse of the mind,

Like a spark causes a flame, then a light will ignite,

Then suddenly I’m pulling a ton of stress with me,

Seems these days all I’m trying to do is get people to help me to forgive myself,

Now I should have seen the signs it’s an apocalypse of the mind,

And don’t have me mistaken I would have pressed rewind if I could,

But it seemed fast forward was just as good.

And don’t have me misunderstood I would’ve pressed stop if I could,

I’m so sick of being sick,

So sick of doing shit wrong,

Seems like the best end is a brand-new beginning,

The opposite to a life full of loss, is a brand-new life full of winning,

Cognition destroyed and re-designed it’s an Apocalypse of the mind,

Every breath a blessing,

Every step a gift,

Seems these day’s people forgetting how precious life really is,

Now I could sit back and say I’ve had it rough,

But really it’s 2 in 3 that have it tough,

You can sit there and deny,

But I’ll walk through life with my head held high,

Time to stand up and identify,

I was always too nice,

Didn’t think I could suffice,

No more listening to bad advice,

Gotta step up in life,

Become a mother and a wife,

Put a footprint on this reality,

Make for a better society,

Because seeing that smile embraced on his face,

Is all I need to rid my mind of the world’s disgrace,

No point in me sitting back and having a cry,

About all the things in life I cannot rectify,

So sick of being sick,

So sick of doing shit wrong,

Sometimes the best end is a brand-new beginning,

The opposite to a world full of loss,

Is a world full of winning,

Cognition destroyed and re-designed,

It’s an apocalypse of the mind,

So no matter what I might know,

No matter what I might say,

I’m just a matter of words,

In a matter of thoughts,

So prepare to have your mind blown.

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My happy place is knowing inside my heart that I will do better for me. I’ll see the world in a different way.

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