Dan’s Drawing
A drawing of Stitch from Lilo and Stitch, sent to us by Dan.
This section publishes creative contributions mostly from currently and formerly incarcerated people. It includes short-stories, poetry, creative nonfiction, art, and much more.
If you have something creative to submit to us, we would love to read it, or see it, and publish it in About Time – please write to us!

A drawing of Stitch from Lilo and Stitch, sent to us by Dan.
Often I try to self-reflect which turns into waves of rings around me. This picture reflects my days in general; life is static, surrounded by waves around.
The cage stands bold, with its steel-clad mesh. For within its grip, it’s us it holds. Ten foot walls, of cold creme concrete. For outside we muster, like horses in stalls.
I know you think you’re broken far too much to ever heal properly, like all those other folk that make life seem so real.
“The colours of the rainbow so pretty in the sky." The colours of my jocks lying, on a bench. Uncovered by shutters. Unarmed waiting snakes.
You begin to scream and shout. Roll about time to let it all out. Emotions running wild from the hurt and pain. It’s starting to hurt my brain.
Do you feel confined, please sympathise my pain. The lack of understanding, I find it very vain. Just imagine freedom, independence stripped from you, how would you feel and what would you do.
Another day another cell, can’t believe I’m locked in a cell. Imagine this is what it’s like living in hell, lawyers to pay but no money and nothing to sell!

He awoke, annoyed, just able to make out his cellie in the blacked-out gloom. He began to protest, but his spirit soared when he heard the word: “Your library books are here!”

I hated the kitchen on the outside but have learnt from being inside that it makes me feel wholesome and happy.

“I recognise that”, “that’s someone I know”, “I can’t place who, but that is someone’s smell”.

There’s irony, hypocrisy, fallacy, a vast ocean of distance to cross. The “saint”, the “sinner”, it’s lunacy, that the ignorant could save the lost.

I’m not belle of the ball, not the very least, but we have something in common, I’m in love with a beast. But the beast is not a person but a drug that I call meth, I’ve been talking to myself for hours, I’m running out of breath.

Nostalgia is a gentle haze, a soft and fading, golden maze, where time itself begins to blur, and memory’s touch is sweet and pure.

Don't fear my love, everything’s alright. Don't fear my friends, the future looks bright.

Love’s definition cannot be just one, not one, two or more but a tonne. Love is the greatest quality of them all, a verse written by the poet Paul.

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's an apocalypse of the mind.


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.