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

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ISSUE NO. 10

May 2025

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Poetry

Good Seed

By

RM

RM writes from Brisbane Correctional Centre in Queensland.

‘End of the Line’ by Les, 1999, graphite and charcoal on paper, Boom Gate Gallery

The more time I spend in this cell,

The more the devil can control his hell.

Let me be free from all this pain and hate,

But sometimes I just think it too late,

Why does all this pain happen to me?

Can this demon just set me free,

It feels as though my hands are tied,

I think about my babies. Only to break down and cry,

I try over and over, again and again,

Please believe me my honourable friend,

Home sounds so sweet to the heart,

If only shown from the very start,

I only wish for my hands to be freed,

Don’t beat me up about my past.

Coz I truly am a good seed.

The more time I spend in this cell,

The more the devil can control his hell.

Let me be free from all this pain and hate,

But sometimes I just think it too late,

Why does all this pain happen to me?

Can this demon just set me free,

It feels as though my hands are tied,

I think about my babies. Only to break down and cry,

I try over and over, again and again,

Please believe me my honourable friend,

Home sounds so sweet to the heart,

If only shown from the very start,

I only wish for my hands to be freed,

Don’t beat me up about my past.

Coz I truly am a good seed.

Falling Like Angels

By Daniel

The pain that I feel, this place that I’m in, these four walls closing in…

Creative

ISSUE NO. 23

2 MIN READ

As This Time Comes to an End

By Punkin

As this time comes to an end, I wonder which way the next will bend. The earth and moon will do their thing, I’ll embrace everything.

Creative

ISSUE NO. 23

2 MIN READ

‘God, I Am Deeply Sorry’: A Poem for the Prisoners We’ve Lost

By Triste

To all the prisoners who have ever spent time away from the ones they love.

Creative

ISSUE NO. 23

1 MIN READ

‘Tingers’ and the Squirrel Box

By Sara

In Creative Learning we get to see some amazing stuff made by talented people. The best part is hearing the stories behind how creative projects have come to life.

Creative

ISSUE NO. 23

2 MIN READ

Help Us Keep Publishing About Time

Without About Time, I don’t know where I would be – Mark, from a prison in Victoria

We need your help so that we can print and distribute the paper to every person in every prison for at least the next year. We value whatever you can spare, no matter how big or small.

Australia’s prison population is growing, and our many prisons are spread far and wide.

We need your help so that we can print and distribute the paper to every person in every prison for at least the next year. We need your help to cover postage for anyone who sends us a letter from the inside.

We value whatever you can spare, no matter how big or small.