OVER THAT WALL

Over that wall there are women,
Lasses, girls,
All in prison.
From the outside looking in,
You just see the criminal,
But through those blue doors,
There are women,
And they are singing.
Over that wall there are chosen families,
And dearest friends,
Love and laughter,
Squeezed onto grubby single beds.
There is poetry,
That cannot be held in by bars,
That cannot be silenced by biased news reports.
There are voices so loud,
That no wall will silence.
That no wall will hold the freedom that's inside them.
Over that wall are women, judged,
Locked inside, away from public view,
A Sisterhood.
Over that wall we ignore the bigger problem,
And the women will sing,
Over that wall,
Until you stop to hear them!

Dedicated to the women in HMP Low Newton Prison