Never Let the Monster Inside Take Control
A drawing from inside.
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 from inside.
Cold blows the wind tonight, sweetheart, cold are the drops of rain, cold are the four walls of my cell, so cold I shall remain.
These “emotions” that carry me. It’s from these that you see me. Let not what you see, be all I can be. I’m so much more, this isn’t all.
A girl trying to find her soul, an escape with rope and toe up a tree, a knot a swing.
No mail, no bail, just jail. Hail and rain, rain and suffering, silently ingrained.
Shout out to all you maintenance workers, from painting to plumbing, youse know you’re the reasons these places don’t collapse in on us!
Even if positive life events have been few and far between for YOU/now, the ingenious design of our transport allows you to revisit them time and again.

A cheesecake recipe from inside, sent in by Timothy from a prison in QLD.

I’m sending a drawing I have done – I’ve only been drawing for about eight months now and I’m happy with my progress, as before I could only draw stick figures.

Today I went down the solitary lane, to seek revenge from who owe me pain. What I saw was horrifying, people gathered there too were crying.

Life is what you make it, my friend. The only opinion that should matter is your own. Why? Because beauty is in the beholder’s eyes and in the end, the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.

My life confined to a white sack, they dress us all the same. The sack is heavy, dragged around, but weighs less than my shame.

I wrote this song when I started my sentence in June 2026.

Somebody’s Daughter Theatre offers women within the prison system in Victoria, the opportunity to participate in weekly art workshops.

I felt compelled to contribute so here follows a few submissions for your consideration.


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