PLEASE GOD, I’M ONLY 13!

Today I dreamed I was walking through the wrong neighborhood. I knew I should not have done this, but I took a crazy chance, ESE. I was smoking a cigarette and drinking a beer. I was enjoying my freedom man, I was having fun.

The last thing I remember was walking down the street with my homeboy and seeing this carrucha pulling up next to me going awfully slow. I heard the words, “where u vatos from?” I heard a loud bang and felt ringing in my head and a terrible jolt to my whole body. My body flew to the ground, ESE. My whole body seemed to be turning inside out. I heard myself scream. I don’t know what happened to my homeboy.

Suddenly, I awakened. It was very quiet. A police was standing over me. Then I saw a doctor. My body was in pieces. I was saturated with blood. Pieces of the buckshot from the gunshot were piercing my body all over, strange; I could not feel a thing.
Hey! Don’t pull that sheet over my head, ESE! I can’t be dead! I’m a homeboy of only 13. I’ve got to meet my homeboys tonight, ESE. I’m supposed to grow up and have a firme life. I haven’t lived yet. I can’t be dead, man.

Later I was placed in a drawer. My jeffita had to identify me. Why did she have to see me like this? Why did I have to look at my jeffita’s eyes when she faced the most terrible ordeal of her life? My jeffita suddenly looked vieja. She told the vato in charge “Si, el es mi hijo.”

The funeral was a weird experience, ESE. I saw all my relatives and my homeboys walk toward my casket. They passed by, one by one, and looked at me with the saddest eyes I’ve ever seen. Some of my homies were crying. A few of the rucas touched my hand and sobbed as they walked away.
PLEASE… SOMEBODY….WAKE ME UP!!! Get me out of here! I can’t bear to see my jeffita so broken up. My abuelitos are so racked up with pain, ESE. They can barely walk, my little carnal, Toñito, mi hermana, Rosa, are like zombies. They move like robots in a daze. EVERYONE!!! No one can believe this, and I can’t believe it either, ESE!

Please don’t bury me! I’m not dead! I have a lot of living to do! I want to laugh and run again, I want to sing and dance. Please don’t put me in the ground. I promise if you give me just one more chance, God, I’ll stay away from drugs and gangs. I promise to love my family and be the best son in the world. I promise to do my schoolwork and to be the best student my teachers ever encountered. I promise to help my raza and to be the best educated homeboy America ever knew.
All I want is one more chance!
PLEASE GOD, IM ONLY 13!!!