Life After Death: The Shocking True Story of a Innocent Man on Death Row

relief. It boggles my mind that a community of people actually chose to have someone like that represent them, but I’m glad they did. By welcoming his poison into their lives, they have removed it from mine. The Lord works in mysterious ways, as my grandmother used to say. Seriously, though—it truly is odd how things work out sometimes, isn’t it?
    D ECEMBER 4
    My thirty-sixth birthday is in one week. This will be my eighteenth birthday in a cage. It’s official—exactly half my life has been spent in here. In some ways it seems like I’ve only been here for a very short period. In other ways it seems like centuries. It doesn’t feel like I’m turning thirty-six. It feels more like two hundred thirty-six. Yet at the same time I can still remember being seven years old as if it were last week. Time is an incredibly strange thing. I think all of the most magickal things are probably connected in one way or another to the phenomenon we call time.
    I’ve heard about the Fox News station in Memphis doing a “special report” in which they “analyzed” my body language. They commented on things like how I move my mouth. I wonder how their mouths would move if they’d been repeatedly punched in the face by sadistic prison guards. Or how it would change the way they moved if they were forced to wear chains that cut into their skin for seventeen and a half years. I wonder how they would move if they’d been beaten until they pissed blood, hadn’t been exposed to sunlight in years, and were suddenly being asked invasive questions by rude people after a decade in solitary confinement. They have no idea how strange and overwhelming other people’s energy can be when you’ve been alone for a very, very long time. Ah, well. Perhaps I shouldn’t expect them to understand. Or even be respectful. All I can do is keep moving forward.
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    O n January 4, 2011, Judge Laser held an open hearing in Jonesboro, and a conference call with my lawyers and with Jason’s and Jessie’s.
    F EBRUARY 6
    Today I had one of those brief flashes where I remembered what the sunset looks and feels like. I completely gave myself over to the memory, letting it wash through me, losing myself in it. I’m afraid that soon such memories will be gone because it gets harder and harder to conjure them up. It’s been nearly twenty years since I’ve actually seen a sunset. I regularly receive letters now from people who had not even been born the last time I saw a sunset.
    Today is Super Bowl Sunday. That doesn’t mean much to me, even though I can feel the energy of it in the air. It almost feels like a really old holiday, perhaps the not-so-bright child that would result from the mating of Thanksgiving and the Fourth of July. I’m always amazed at how such things gradually take on a life of their own. I’m more interested in the energy of it than the actual game. If I had to articulate it, I’d say it’s like a happy tension. It’s kind of a pleasant feeling, actually. Kind of nice. And there’s not a guard in sight. They’re all down the hall somewhere, watching the game. If you ever decide to escape from prison, you should do it during the Super Bowl.
    F EBRUARY 10
    Today I received a letter from Senator John Kerry, asking me for a donation. Much like the one I received last year from Joe Biden, this one also says that if I don’t help the Democrats they won’t be able to stop those evil Republicans from violating my civil rights. After reading it I could only quote the great Elvis Presley when he said, “What the hell, man?”
    Lately I’ve been looking back over the past year at how much I’ve learned and improved. My health and strength have improved by tenfold at least. Around this time last year I was worn-out, exhausted, and in extreme pain. I dedicated nearly all of my time and energy to improving healing techniques and mastering my internal energy flow. When I reflect on how far I’ve come in one single year, I’m absolutely amazed. This year I’m doubling my efforts again, and I’m excited to see what will come next. I want to push myself beyond all of my previous boundaries. A great deal of esoteric work is like lifting weights—over time you grow stronger and stronger. You get as much out of it as you put into it. This past week I’ve pushed myself harder than ever before, and when I lie down at night I immediately fall into an exhausted, dreamless sleep. It’s satisfying, though. It’s the kind