Inside/Outside

Outside these prison walls exists real life,

Going daily about their business in haste.

The hustle and bustle, too busy to stop,

Lives synchronised, and no time to waste.

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Mothers with tired children in tow,

Screaming, crying, wanting to go home.

Men in smart suits walking with purpose,

Others oblivious to all, chatting on their phone.

The train station bursting with passengers,

Waiting to board for their trip to work.

Annoyed, frustrated with another day at the office

A young lad on a skateboard, being such a jerk.

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A drunken man, filthy clothes, hungry and begging,

No one stops to pander to his feeble please.

So many different faces, voices and religions

A collage of wide and varied nationalities.

All these people have lives of meaning and purpose,

Busy, full, entertaining and hectic lives.

Bonded together by the common thread of family,

There for each other, in times of good or strife.

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But inside these prison walls, lives are broken,

Chastened by a system that abhors crime.

Their souls hardened by years of hatred and anger,

No meaning, no purpose, just doing their time.

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The clock never stops, while doing
their time.