The Darkness of Melbourne Gaol

The cells were so small, so dark
I could only imagine the cold;
here was where they crushed starving spirits

what circle of hell was this,
where murderers were as crazy as hungry thieves?

it was as dark as the ships hold
that brought so many to these shores
here our own convicts were transported
just like wealth and hierarchy
the moments of demise stared at me,
portraits of distant insanity, assaulted

the walls spoke of the iron hand of justice,
of the long drop of democracy,
even sugar couldn’t save them,
these who had sinned against the Lord
home-made armour couldn’t deflect a death sentence

These solid walls held them all,
luckily only curiosity held me, but I suspected
that these ghosts of an almost forgotten past
were not so distant memories of an imprisoned future.