That Herrera Boy | Teen Ink

That Herrera Boy

April 24, 2009
By ajrox92 BRONZE, Stone Mountain, Georgia
ajrox92 BRONZE, Stone Mountain, Georgia
2 articles 0 photos 0 comments

I saw his smiling face on the
6 o’clock News, thinking he had gotten a Reward
or that he was the Result of a successful Amber Alert,
But his mother’s face only said one word:
“Goodbye.”

That Herrera Boy
came home,
took a belt,
and decided to play
a macabre game of Space Monkey
But he wasn’t playing

That Herrera Boy
barely had time to live
(In more ways than one)

That Herrera Boy went into his closet and never came out
Maybe that’s why his classmates ganged up on him:
he never came out of the closet like they thought he should
His poor mother had to pull him out

Goodbye little Herrera Boy
Tell your mother goodbye
Tell her…

It’s not that you’re hanging
It’s just that an Angel’s feet aren’t supposed to touch the ground.


The author's comments:
This piece was inspired by the death of a kid named Jaheem Herrera. He was 11 years old and he hanged himself because his classmates bullied him at school and made fun of him for being "gay."

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This article has 1 comment.


on May. 14 2009 at 6:38 pm
Tamara*Monta BRONZE, Warren, Texas
4 articles 0 photos 19 comments

Favorite Quote:
never regret sompthing that once made u smile

THAT WAS REALLY GOOD. ITS SAD TO SAY BUT THERE KIDS DYING EVERYDAY WHO CANT LIVE WITH THERE SELFS BECAUSE THEY ARE BEING BULLIED