A must read "Mary Joe"

Image by: Artistic Realism Drawings

Mary Joe was this couples’ first baby

After eighteen years of trying

Mary Joe was a blessing

Mary Joe was a lesson

Little Mary was beauty; with our eyes we behold it.

That Sunday morning

Before the altar

It was Mary we were dedicating

I remember the preacher saying,

“This baby is a sign that Gods covenant with us is not broken”

Before the altar

We came out dancing

With hearts full of thanksgiving

In the offering basket we dropped our token

For we know, with Mary’s’ testimony, we can now keep on believing

When Mary was two

She was to start school

It was early in June

The rains had started that year a little too soon

And as the dam, so was our joy full

Cousin Brothers, Cousin Sisters

Distant uncles, distant aunties

Little nephews, little nieces

Many more relatives, all came to cheer Mary.

The living room was a little rowdy

Auntie Rosé line was in the room dressing Mary

While her mom packed her lunch box

Her dad with her uncle’s played ‘’catch up’’
I still hear her saying,
” don’t you all know it’s rude to stare at a lady
besides grownups shouldn’t act like babies”
she sent us a shock wave of laughter

and we were dazed thereafter
For she came out looking,

Pretty and radiant

Preppy and valiant

As smooth and smart as capsules

More like a properly prepared soup, garnished with all the necessary ingredient

She was set to conquer, but something else was imminent

After a week in kindergarten

It was a different tune we were singing

‘’Mary was a genius “

Her teachers were quick to notice

She brought us smiles

She lit up our lives

In this dark world, she was our light.

As the morning dew were settling

The news was breaking

We knew the worst had happened

We were just afraid to face it.

25th of December was a Sunday morning

At St. Theresa cathedral in Madalla

There was a bombing

The damage done was colossal

It was immediately after mass as worshipers were dispersing

A dozen Hail Marys’ didn’t give us a premonition

A motorcycle drove by,

Dropped something wrapped in poly-ethylene

The guards got curious and went close to examine

What happened next is best imagined

The content went off,

The impact sent the roof on an errand

The louvers shattered

The gates came down crashing

Body part littered the car park

more than half a dozen cars exploded

A family of five got trapped and were roasted

On the ground it left a crater

In our hearts a scar

‘cos somewhere in this tragedy was Mary.