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

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ISSUE NO. 13

August 2025

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Poetry

Let Down

By

Matthew

Matthew writes from a prison in New South Wales.

“Anxiety and Mixed Emotions” by Jenny, 2025, acrylic on canvas, Boom Gate Gallery

I hear the sirens wailing

I know the cops are coming

To my door

I let down my family

Even my kids, friends and all

I promised I wasn’t going

Back to jail

They said we’ve heard

All this before

As I get handcuffed

And put into the paddy wagon door

My 11-year-old son follows

Crying and all

I will never forget

The words he said to me

Dad you have let me down

Like before

Those words have stuck

Right into my head

Time for me to wake up

And do the right thing instead

Get out of jail

And make them proud instead

This is what motivates me

Every night and every day

Knowing I’m going to get out

I cannot wait ‘til that day

I hear the sirens wailing

I know the cops are coming

To my door

I let down my family

Even my kids, friends and all

I promised I wasn’t going

Back to jail

They said we’ve heard

All this before

As I get handcuffed

And put into the paddy wagon door

My 11-year-old son follows

Crying and all

I will never forget

The words he said to me

Dad you have let me down

Like before

Those words have stuck

Right into my head

Time for me to wake up

And do the right thing instead

Get out of jail

And make them proud instead

This is what motivates me

Every night and every day

Knowing I’m going to get out

I cannot wait ‘til that day

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