In Mairoon’s memory

Please do not cry for me when I am gone,

Or wash with tears your dirges as you mourn,

But lift your voices, sing to God in praise,

For the joys I’d seen in my

last days.

If when I walked the earth and

did smile,

And stopped along the way to chat a while,

If I had helped one single friend from wrong,

Then raise your voices high in happy song.

The woes that plagued my Sisyphean life,

Never mind the trials and

the strife,

You know my heart was always filled with love,

A sign of God’s great goodness from above.

My thanks to you for kindness and the care,

The friendships and the moments that we shared,

The words of wisdom, caution, and warm comfort,

Though mine at times were

harsh and short.

So smile, my friends, let not my happy soul await,

But speed me on through Peter’s pearly gates,

I’m sure we’ll meet, though I do not know when,

To never part when we all

reach to heaven.

Eva David Peterson Swain

Sangre Grande