Welcome to About Time

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

Your browser window currently does not have enough height, or is zoomed in too far to view our website content correctly. Once the window reaches the minimum required height or zoom percentage, the content will display automatically.

Alternatively, you can learn more via the links below.

Donations via GiveNow

Email

Instagram

LinkedIn

ISSUE NO. 3

September 2024

ISSUE NO. 3

+

Sections

September 2024

Donate Here

Poetry

Paradise or Prison

By

Joseph

Joseph writes from Hopkins Correctional Centre in Victoria.

Ray Hennessy

Our faces are seen above uniforms of green,

We parade in this prison, all shaven clean.

"Another day in paradise", we sarcastically wink,

"We fake it till we make it", we tell our shrink.

We feel like stock on a bar-coded shelf,

Stored, then shifted between warehouses of wealth.

At the mercy of 'sirs';, kids with keys,

Who are half our age, who we need to please.

On our hilltop horizon, some silhouettes appear.

Marching black cattle, grazing on the clear.

A trinity of eagles, wind-surfing thermal waves,

They see both sides of the hill as slaves.

In our prison tents, we queue, single file,

But over the hill, you shop in the same style.

While we crave to return to your 'greener' side,

The eagles see a truth that we all try to hide.

You crave an idyllic pine tree sojourn,

But our star-lit escape costs more than you earn.

You crave spinning windmills where regal eagles reign,

We crave spinning steering wheels and aeroplanes.

You see this tent as Her Majesty's prison,

But the eagle's lens sees a symmetrical prism.

While we bemoan an injustice miscarriage,

You may bemoan a miserable marriage.

Why wallow my walls of incarceration,

Within bedroom walls – your divided nation.

Between each brick you add cement,

When you let the sun set while your heart resents.

We're unleashed when we reach the sentence full-stop.

While you're life-bound to shackles you cannot chop.

Our hill orates its' sermon on the mount,

When we're down, we gaze up at this wisdom fount.

Are you a slave to the debts that never forgive,

While our temporary tent gives us temporary reprieve.

Eagles see paradises, and prisons without bars,

On both sides of the hill, where there's no greener grass.

Our faces are seen above uniforms of green,

We parade in this prison, all shaven clean.

"Another day in paradise", we sarcastically wink,

"We fake it till we make it", we tell our shrink.

We feel like stock on a bar-coded shelf,

Stored, then shifted between warehouses of wealth.

At the mercy of 'sirs';, kids with keys,

Who are half our age, who we need to please.

On our hilltop horizon, some silhouettes appear.

Marching black cattle, grazing on the clear.

A trinity of eagles, wind-surfing thermal waves,

They see both sides of the hill as slaves.

In our prison tents, we queue, single file,

But over the hill, you shop in the same style.

While we crave to return to your 'greener' side,

The eagles see a truth that we all try to hide.

You crave an idyllic pine tree sojourn,

But our star-lit escape costs more than you earn.

You crave spinning windmills where regal eagles reign,

We crave spinning steering wheels and aeroplanes.

You see this tent as Her Majesty's prison,

But the eagle's lens sees a symmetrical prism.

While we bemoan an injustice miscarriage,

You may bemoan a miserable marriage.

Why wallow my walls of incarceration,

Within bedroom walls – your divided nation.

Between each brick you add cement,

When you let the sun set while your heart resents.

We're unleashed when we reach the sentence full-stop.

While you're life-bound to shackles you cannot chop.

Our hill orates its' sermon on the mount,

When we're down, we gaze up at this wisdom fount.

Are you a slave to the debts that never forgive,

While our temporary tent gives us temporary reprieve.

Eagles see paradises, and prisons without bars,

On both sides of the hill, where there's no greener grass.

How to Make Bannoffee Pie in a Secure Unit

By Garth

A sweet treat using buy-up staples.

Creative

ISSUE NO. 20

1 MIN READ

I Am Tired

By Anthony

Tired from being told what to do. I am tired of love, tired of being deemed guilty, tired of my own remorse. I am tired of my own self-doubt, my own shadows and especially tired of my own face.

Creative

ISSUE NO. 20

I Hate You, Crystal Meth

By Mackenzie

Hate’s a strong word, but for you it’s reserved. I hate what you’ve taken from me, my parents, my childhood and my glee.

Creative

ISSUE NO. 20

1 MIN READ

Twelve Years Trying to Patch Up My Soul

By Abynei

My blue eyes look so drained, but I’m strong, I’ll make it through.

Creative

ISSUE NO. 20

1 MIN READ