Mattie

By Helen Augusta Brown

May pleasures attend thee,
Whereever you go,
And heaven defend thee
From sorrow and woe;
May sunbeams be o’er thee,
To brighten thy way,
And roses before thee
Their beauties display

May Friends ‘round thee cluster
With love’s perfect chain –
Oh! bright be its lustre,
While life’s scenes remain;
May he, whose selection
Has rendered thee blest,
Soothe down with affection
Each care in thy breast

And Thus shall live ever
Pass moothly with thee,
As some quiet river
That winds to the sea,
Then blessings be on thee,
The purest and best,
Till angeels have won thee
To mansions of rest.

– Published in The Union Sentinel, Osceola, Iowa, Saturday, September 24, 1864