High Fences
A reflection of my visit to Owen Springs, Alice Springs.
High fences in the middle of nowhere,
Very confronting to the eyes,
Guarding secrets, keeping out the world,
Abandoned, lonely crowds.
The fence topped with barbed wire,
Reaching up to the sky,
It stretches on for metres and metres,
A visual image to make one cry.
No one knows the secrets it may hide,
But one thing is for certain,
The youths learn and grow,
Children’s rights, a crucial fight, that must be won.
We stand and stare at the fence,
Wondering how and why,
But it remains a mystery,
In the middle of nowhere to reside.
Notes:
Towards the end of 2022 I was fortunate enough to visit Owen Springs Youth Detention for my first time. The high fences were very confronting. I saw another level of engagement in the classroom that I have never seen before. The work being done here is to be celebrated.
This reflection was created using OpenAI - two poems merged and remixed. The image was created using Adobe Express. Feel free to get in contact if you want a demo!