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!
As I strive to read this paper, I am constantly bombarded with various forms of attempted conversation.

In the past, I laughed at tree huggers, sandalwood-scented hippy buggers. But all that hatred was ill-fated, now that I'm incarcerated.

I think that God is dead, and he really isn't there, or maybe he is on strike, and he just doesn't care.

Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is this man I see? Mirror, mirror, on the wall, that man there can't be me?

Somebody’s Daughter Theatre Company (SDTC) began running art workshops with women at Fairlea Women’s Prison over forty years ago.

One cold and windy night, I laid upon my gaol bed, and as I closed my eyes, I heard a voice that said: “Please don’t be afraid, I wish to speak with you, maybe you will listen, to my words that are true.”

No one can see the shame and guilt, trapped behind these eyes. As I sit here in a prison cell, all due to a pack of lies.


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.