This is an especially good idea if you aren’t confident in your writing skills. We’ve put together a list of some of the most popular funeral poetry to inspire you. If you’re truly inspired, you could try writing something yourself to share at the memorial.
Miss me but let me go - Anonymous
When I come to the end of the road and the sun has set on me,
I want no rites in a gloom filled room, why cry for a soul set free.
Miss me a little - but not too long, and not with your head bowed low,
Remember the love that we once shared, miss me - but let me go.
For this is a journey that we all must take, and each must go alone.
It's all a part of the Master's plan, a step on the road to home.
When you are lonely and sick of heart, go to the friends we know.
And bury your sorrows in doing good deeds, miss me - but let me go.
We let you go - Ruth Burgess
Into the freedom of wind and sunshine
We let you go
Into the dance of the stars and the planets
We let you go
Into the wind’s breath and the hands of the star maker
We let you go
We love you, we miss you, we want you to be happy
Go safely, go dancing, go running home.
The unknown shore - Elizabeth Clark Hardy
Sometime at Eve when the tide is low
I shall slip my moorings and sail away
With no response to a friendly hail
In the silent hush of the twilight pale
When the night stoops down to embrace the day
And the voices call in the water's flow
Sometime at Eve When the water is low
I shall slip my moorings and sail away.
Through purple shadows
That darkly trail o'er the ebbing tide
And the Unknown Sea,
And a ripple of waters' to tell the tale
Of a lonely voyager sailing away
To mystic isles
Where at anchor lay
The craft of those who had sailed before
O'er the Unknown Sea
To the Unknown Shore
A few who watched me sail away
Will miss my craft from the busy bay
Some friendly barques were anchored near
Some loving souls my heart held dear
In silent sorrow will drop a tear
But I shall have peacefully furled my sail
In mooring sheltered from the storm and gale
And greeted friends who had sailed before
O'er the Unknown Sea
To the Unknown Shore
Do not stand at my grave and weep - Mary Elizabeth Frye
Do not stand at my grave and weep.
I am not there. I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning’s hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry;
I am not there. I did not die.
Whatever poetry you choose for the memorial, and whether you choose to write your own or read an existing poem it will always be special and meaningful to family and friends.
Don’t worry about having to create something original, the beauty of a poem is that it can mean different things to different people.