Included is a poem written by Michael and my honest response of encouragement. May it offer hope to anyone who challenges themselves to choose to heal toward being a quality human. There are so many men wanting to transform. There are many who hear their pain. There are too few who truly listen. About Time gives all a voice to proclaim their sorrow and continue their amends. This challenges all to honestly listen with compassion and care. Thanks to you and your professionalism for making transformation possible.
Shalom, David.
Michael:
Alone in my cell, in my cell each day I cry.
It doesn’t matter if I live or die.
People laugh at me and don’t feel my pain,
Even when it’s sunny it feels like rain.
Each day I know I’m losing hope.
What’s gone, can no longer cope.
A man can no longer cope when he has lost everything he loved,
When he’s the only one.
My children have forgotten me,
My shadow has befriended me.
One day you’re nothing, a forgotten king,
And the next, a clown.
And in the sea of sadness I will drown.
God was once my heart, but now I feel we are no longer anything more.
We are held deep, far apart.
I have no more to thrive to live, no more to give.
Just close my eyes and never more weep,
That I may eternally finally sleep.
David:
Michael, you stand at another crossroad of your life. Your poem expresses your feelings of powerlessness.
Your sketches show your desire for goodness. Your sharing indicates seeking wisdom. Your tears are the balm of healing. Your wise words to others are filled with compassion.
It is time to decide: self-honesty or self-pity? Stay powerless or ask for power? Trust in yourself or trust in God’s care? Remain selfish or live selflessly? Choose death or transformation? Die, or live.
David
Included is a poem written by Michael and my honest response of encouragement. May it offer hope to anyone who challenges themselves to choose to heal toward being a quality human. There are so many men wanting to transform. There are many who hear their pain. There are too few who truly listen. About Time gives all a voice to proclaim their sorrow and continue their amends. This challenges all to honestly listen with compassion and care. Thanks to you and your professionalism for making transformation possible.
Shalom, David.
Michael:
Alone in my cell, in my cell each day I cry.
It doesn’t matter if I live or die.
People laugh at me and don’t feel my pain,
Even when it’s sunny it feels like rain.
Each day I know I’m losing hope.
What’s gone, can no longer cope.
A man can no longer cope when he has lost everything he loved,
When he’s the only one.
My children have forgotten me,
My shadow has befriended me.
One day you’re nothing, a forgotten king,
And the next, a clown.
And in the sea of sadness I will drown.
God was once my heart, but now I feel we are no longer anything more.
We are held deep, far apart.
I have no more to thrive to live, no more to give.
Just close my eyes and never more weep,
That I may eternally finally sleep.
David:
Michael, you stand at another crossroad of your life. Your poem expresses your feelings of powerlessness.
Your sketches show your desire for goodness. Your sharing indicates seeking wisdom. Your tears are the balm of healing. Your wise words to others are filled with compassion.
It is time to decide: self-honesty or self-pity? Stay powerless or ask for power? Trust in yourself or trust in God’s care? Remain selfish or live selflessly? Choose death or transformation? Die, or live.
David
Your contributions are the centerpiece of the paper. If you would like to contribute to our Letters section, please send your letters to the below postal address:
Or via email:
On 1 November 2025, QCS introduced a new pricing model: 20 cents per minute for all calls, mobile or local. A call that once cost 30 cents for 15 minutes now costs $3 – a ten-times increase.
I have been incarcerated for 22 months of a four-year sentence in Queensland jails. This poem is about my own situation.
Reading other prisoner’s stories inspired me to keep my head up and keep going now four months in, thank you all who share your stories and words of wisdom.
I moved units about a month ago and we feed some stray cats here. One even let me pat her last night! It's been over a year since I've patted an animal, so you can imagine how excited I was!
Help keep the momentum going. All donations will be vital in providing an essential resource for people in prison and their loved ones.
All donations of $2 or more are tax deductible. If you would like to pay directly into our bank account to avoid the processing fee, please contact donate@abouttime.org.au. ABN 67 667 331 106.
Help us get About Time off the ground. All donations are tax deductible and will be vital in providing an essential resource for people in prison and their loved ones.
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.
Leave a Comment
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere. uis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.