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

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ISSUE NO. 19

February 2026

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Poetry

Less

By

John

John writes from a prison in VIC.

Jonny Gios via Unsplash

The outside on the inside

Steals passion for fun

When arrows come from far and wide

Facing the new shiny sun

with dignity

There are ribbons in the fire

And lives still painfully on hold

Beneath the folds of desire

The barred windows still remain cold

indefinitely

When recognition cannot be found

Or trust and pride have no sound

Then those minds roll ‘round and round

They cannot find any common ground

respectively

So the outcasts may play together

Live trapped among the barbed wire

Unmasked souls on a sorry tether

Can never form a knowing gyre

insensitivity

For when lives are flung aside

And battle is all they know

Then worth will always hide

Awake for some endless show

expressivity

The outsider on the inside

Wears the mask of the alone

In crowds of waste and glory

They often forget about Home

eternally

The outside on the inside

Steals passion for fun

When arrows come from far and wide

Facing the new shiny sun

with dignity

There are ribbons in the fire

And lives still painfully on hold

Beneath the folds of desire

The barred windows still remain cold

indefinitely

When recognition cannot be found

Or trust and pride have no sound

Then those minds roll ‘round and round

They cannot find any common ground

respectively

So the outcasts may play together

Live trapped among the barbed wire

Unmasked souls on a sorry tether

Can never form a knowing gyre

insensitivity

For when lives are flung aside

And battle is all they know

Then worth will always hide

Awake for some endless show

expressivity

The outsider on the inside

Wears the mask of the alone

In crowds of waste and glory

They often forget about Home

eternally

How to Make Bannoffee Pie in a Secure Unit

By Garth

A sweet treat using buy-up staples.

Creative

ISSUE NO. 20

1 MIN READ

I Am Tired

By Anthony

Tired from being told what to do. I am tired of love, tired of being deemed guilty, tired of my own remorse. I am tired of my own self-doubt, my own shadows and especially tired of my own face.

Creative

ISSUE NO. 20

I Hate You, Crystal Meth

By Mackenzie

Hate’s a strong word, but for you it’s reserved. I hate what you’ve taken from me, my parents, my childhood and my glee.

Creative

ISSUE NO. 20

1 MIN READ

Twelve Years Trying to Patch Up My Soul

By Abynei

My blue eyes look so drained, but I’m strong, I’ll make it through.

Creative

ISSUE NO. 20

1 MIN READ