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. 12

July 2025

Donate Here

Poetry

A Dialogue Between Poets

By

Krystal

Krystal writes from Numinbah Correctional Centre in Queensland.

Willy Pleasance

I found this poem titled Until and I wrote a poem on my reflection to it.

Until

By Anonymous

Until you’ve been arrested

And spent endless days in jail

And walked a hundred miles

Without ever leaving your cell

Until you’ve lost your family

And you’re utterly alone

You try to seek comfort

Realizing it was left at home

Until you’ve faced a judge

And entered your guilty plea

you’ve heard the words of judgment

That you won’t be going free

Until your days turn into months

And months turn into years

You lie awake at night

Shedding endless tears

Until you’ve lost all hope

And every dream you’ve ever had

You fight to keep your sanity

And fear that you’ll go mad

Until you’ve gone through these things

And lost all human will

How can you look at me and say

You know how I feel.

But Then

By Krystal

But then you say to yourself

Fuck it!

I’ve got this, I mean I’ve already pretty much done it

I’m in the now. So why not live in the present

Take my learns and see them as a lesson

So rather seeing my plea as I’m already forgotten

Take it with grace and receive

It for the blessing

As there is something at play here much more than you know

But then in time you’ll see,

It will be discovered as you begin to grow

From dust to ashes as the Bible would say,

Meaning let go take the reigns

Whilst you love in him each and every day

But then you see it, you finally see it

How it’s all been in your head,

How it’s all been an illusion

As you slip away from the worldly delusion

To the picking yourself up to start setting your soul free

As you make this the beginning of you changing your life’s plea.

I found this poem titled Until and I wrote a poem on my reflection to it.

Until

By Anonymous

Until you’ve been arrested

And spent endless days in jail

And walked a hundred miles

Without ever leaving your cell

Until you’ve lost your family

And you’re utterly alone

You try to seek comfort

Realizing it was left at home

Until you’ve faced a judge

And entered your guilty plea

you’ve heard the words of judgment

That you won’t be going free

Until your days turn into months

And months turn into years

You lie awake at night

Shedding endless tears

Until you’ve lost all hope

And every dream you’ve ever had

You fight to keep your sanity

And fear that you’ll go mad

Until you’ve gone through these things

And lost all human will

How can you look at me and say

You know how I feel.

But Then

By Krystal

But then you say to yourself

Fuck it!

I’ve got this, I mean I’ve already pretty much done it

I’m in the now. So why not live in the present

Take my learns and see them as a lesson

So rather seeing my plea as I’m already forgotten

Take it with grace and receive

It for the blessing

As there is something at play here much more than you know

But then in time you’ll see,

It will be discovered as you begin to grow

From dust to ashes as the Bible would say,

Meaning let go take the reigns

Whilst you love in him each and every day

But then you see it, you finally see it

How it’s all been in your head,

How it’s all been an illusion

As you slip away from the worldly delusion

To the picking yourself up to start setting your soul free

As you make this the beginning of you changing your life’s plea.

Little Rhyme

By Justin

Here’s a little rhyme. As I’m chilling doing time, paying the price for my crime.

Creative

ISSUE NO. 24

1 MIN READ

Mother

By Biannca

What did you see when you looked at me? Just a little girl, I had no voice, you kept me down without a choice. You gave heartache and pain, said I was your endless shame.

Creative

ISSUE NO. 24

2 MIN READ

One Day We Will Be Free

By Matt

They talked to us about our struggles, their words we could not hear, while being condemned and held accountable; our vision was not clear.

Creative

ISSUE NO. 24

1 MIN READ

All for One, One for All at Bandyup

By Ruth

Bandyup is a place, where we are a mixed race. It doesn’t matter where we are from, we should support each other as one.

Creative

ISSUE NO. 24

1 MIN READ