January 20, 2025, rolls around. I am glued to one of the three television screens, watching the inauguration of President Donald Trump. In the distance I see Marine One fly away from the White House rotunda with President Biden and the First Lady, along with my hopes and dreams of being released from prison.
I walk away from the cramped and noisy television area, change into my heavily worn exercise clothes, then proceed to do a three-hour callisthenic workout regimen to the point of exhaustion. I follow-up with a cold shower, then go to sleep on my paper-thin mattress for the rest of the day.
Since 1998, I have been asking for a second chance at life. In 2007, I requested clemency from President Bush, and it was immediately denied. In 2016, President Barack Obama granted over 1,700 clemency petitions, and denied mine, while some of the recipients had violent records and cases far more severe than a marijuana crime. In 2019, President Trump left office without a reply. And now, on the Martin Luther King holiday, president Biden has left me behind.
How long will this ordeal of confinement last? How much more punishment must I bear until I see the light of day? Twenty-seven years in prison is a hard pill to swallow. Every day has been torture. Every day spent in a 10×10 foot prison cell wishing I could hug my parents and sons. The cloak of loneliness and despair I constantly wear is now faded and worn. The ongoing illusion of reprieve about to reach 10,000 days in prison.
I’ve just been simply left behind, while “The War on Cannabis” still goes on and on… Where’s the mercy? Where’s the justice? Where’s the President who’ll pardon me? Whatever happens or not happen from now on, I’ll continue on living my days behind barred windows and razor wire fences. I’ll continue living without hope for freedom.
Perhaps one day, when I am old and gray, the mirage of the illusional optimism I clung onto over the years will give way and call me home … who knows? For now I’ll just remain at the “Land of Ash”. A low-security prison without much to give, but the harsh punishment of 40 years for selling weed.
Edwin Rubis is non-violent cannabis prisoner serving 40 years in federal prison. He has been in prison since 1998.
You can help release Edwin: tinyurl.com/FreeEdwinRubis
You can send him a text message through corrlinks: (256) 770-4280
You can also learn more about Edwin Rubis and his journey here.
