Farewell to Mary Lepp

We bade you farewell, sweet Mary

Today at your funeral mass;

Far too late is this thank-you to do you good;

Far too soon you had to pass.

Struck down in the snarling traffic,

Struck down in the blur of the rush,

The enemy caught you a little off guard,

And now we all sit here, hushed.

I can picture you there in my class long ago

All lovely, your blue eyes ablaze

And your lovely smooth cheek had the dawn's rosy glow;

Yours was truly a beautiful face.

And your smile was so bright with youth's freshness and glee

Your face so alive with pure life

That the thought of your leaving puts knives into me,

Too soon for a mother and wife.

For your children are young, in the full swim of school,

And your husband stands lost and alone;

Only Satan could plot such a theft, such a tool

To ratchet a family down.

So I write this lament out of anger of heart

That the enemy still takes his toll,

And I beg you sweet Jesus, set Mary apart

Till you've Satan sealed up in his hole.

Meanwhile, cause us to pray for each other's protection;

Send angels each Christian to keep,

Till we've brought in all soul's from the four winds' direction,

Let the Spirit of Peace with us sleep.

Till we all come together at one in the faith,

Help us love one another and thrive

Putting all your protections, Sweet Jesus, in place

So we all make it home alive

Gene Pinkney (3/09/04)