Funeral poems can encapsulate all you need to say in a concise and heartfelt way.
It is so difficult to find the right words for a funeral.
You will want to give the perfect send off, full of meaning and sentiment.
Funeral Poems can give you words at a time when pain leaves you without a voice.
Some of my poems rhyme, some have a drum-beat rhythm. Others are a cry from the heart with neither rhyme nor rhythm because, perhaps for you right now, nothing rhymes!
The poems on this page are there for you to personalise and use…with my love and condolences. I hope that they help ease the pain of parting.
I also have a page with funeral poetry for a child. Losing a child is a parent’s worst fear and not something that anyone can easily put into words.
If you wish, you can leave me a small gift in exchange for the poem…a cup of tea or a four-course meal, that’s entirely up to you, I’m grateful either way. There is a Paypal button below.
Thank you.
FUNERAL POEMS
What Is Death?
What is death? An ending? A time of regret, of loss? Of unfinished business? Or is death merely a sunset, A winter-bare tree with budding promise, A caterpillar in a chrysalis? A flower bulb waiting in the cold, hard ground For the sun to rise once more So it can blossom To be kissed by the newly emerged butterfly.
The Final Goodnight
We bid you a sad farewell as you fade from sight. It hurts that we’ve said our final goodnight. Your sun has set, your day has gone by, And there’s another star in the inky sky. But though your time is done, we’re here today To celebrate the memories we’ve made along the way. We’ll feel you near to soothe our pain So when morning comes we’ll smile again.
THE GOLDEN KEY
You've travelled on before us, slipped through the open door And now I cannot see you for it's not open any more. On the step, I've called your name, I've pleaded and I've knocked, But that special door is yours alone, and it's now forever locked. So I'll walk away reluctantly, accept that we're apart, Carrying your memory in my lonely broken heart. I know that you'll be with me when I stumble on life's road - You'll lift me up and brush me down - help bear my heavy load. And then, one day, my time will come, I'll get my golden key, And when I slip through my special door, you'll be there, waiting just for me.
Family Strength
A flower without a petal A tree that’s dropped a leaf We have lost you from our midst But stand united in our grief. Like a poet who can’t find the words, A singer without a song We'll call up happy memories And keep each other strong. Our days will seem much darker Clouds shadowing the sun But we’ll walk forth as a family And face the world as one.
YOU CAME HOME
The sun set on a life well lived. It dipped below the horizon with a final flash of farewell And you were gone. We watched you go, shivered as the darkness surrounded us, And wondered how we would not fall without your light to guide us in the dark. In another realm, people stood on a well-trodden hill top. They came to wait. Hands clasped, they at last saw the glimmerings of a sunrise… And you were there with them. You came home
I Hear Your Laughter
I hear your laughter on the wind as it ruffles my hair And wonder where you are now- I miss everything about you, And don’t know how I’ll live without you. I open my mouth to shout your name, But the result will be the same – I’ll hear your laughter on the wind as it ruffles my hair. I know you’re not there – and yet You are - just as clear as the day we met For here is everything you meant to me – Here in my heart, in my memory. What better place to reside, Inside the soul of one who cherishes you there, And hears your laughter on the wind as it ruffles their hair.
The Jigsaw
And so I face life without you For you are not here any more. It's like a big part of me is missing - I'm a jigsaw with a piece on the floor. The picture on the box shows me smiling... Behind that fake cardboard face I hide, But there's a hole where my heart should fit in As there's a huge piece missing inside. So, I'll get on the floor for a while, As that kind of sums up how I feel. Perhaps I'll find the piece that I've lost And then I can start to heal.
WE’VE LET YOU GO WITH LOVE
You shut your eyes that final time, a tear slipped from your eye, You left the room so softly with a silent last goodbye. Your troubles melted as you went, and the burdens that life brings Turned into golden feathers, as you flew up on angels' wings. So soar up to the heavens, smile on us from above - You know we'll always miss you, but we've let you go with love.
SOUND
The sound of my name will never be the same because you're not here to say it. I'll not sing along with our favourite song - you're not with me when I play it. I don't bother to talk on life's lonely walk, as you're not there to hear me, Though the sun's on my face, I'm in such a cold place as I never feel you near me. But life's too brief to only think of you with grief and spoil the times we had together, So after a while, I hope I can smile and treasure those memories forever.
You Will Always Be My Rainbow
When you died, my life became grey. Drained of its colour. Then I began to think of all that you had given me over the years. Your encouragement gave me strength – You Gave Me My Red. Your love gave me warmth - You Gave Me My Orange I remembered the days we spent in the sun – You Gave Me My Yellow And how you had allowed me to grow - You Gave Me My Green I thought of how you had been there for me each day - You Gave Me My Sky Blue How I felt safer at night knowing you were in my life - You Gave Me My Indigo And the sense of calm you infused it all with - You Gave Me My Violet. You gave me my colours, And it is out of respect and love for you that I will shine brightly. You will always be my rainbow.
Whenever I See a Rainbow, I’ll Think of You…
Whenever I see a rainbow, I'll think of you and smile, It will be a reminder of all you meant to me and what you added to my life. The red is your courage and strength, Your steadfast guidance. Orange is your inner fire, your determination, and the warm glow you left me with. Yellow reminds me of the happy times we shared - you brought the sun on the cloudiest of days. Green represents the seeds of hope and ideas you planted in my mind. I love watching them grow. They will flower in your name. Blue is the open sky. My heart soars when I remember how you encouraged me to escape the cage and fly. Indigo reminds me of your comfort in the darkest times of my life. Violet is the sunset - the call of gratitude at the end of the day. And that last goodbye. Whenever I see a rainbow, I'll think of you, say "Thank you" and smile.
Raindrops…
Split from the body of its host, The raindrop falls from the sky, And, heavy, hurtles downwards Forgetting the cloud of its conception. Tumbling on the window It joins with others, absorbing, absorbed, Tiny streams imitating mighty rivers Meeting, parting, forcing their way in an age-old life dance To the gathering place where old souls greet then forge onwards, Thundering or trickling, roaring or whispering- Towards the deep dark oceans. As do we – falling from Heaven’s grace into this grey world With no hope of return until we have run our course.
Is this the end?
Is this the end? Ask the caterpillar - This is where we rest whilst our wings grow.
Remember me!
Remember me, Just as I was… Because that’s who I am! Go to the same places Smile with familiar faces And know I am there. I’m the wind that messes your hair! I’m the laugh of a child, the joy of a friend, Don’t make me the reason that happiness ends… Walk on, stride out, be the best you can be, If you have any doubts, then do it for me! And… Remember me, Just as I was… Alive! Because If I’m not in your thoughts, I’ve died.
Your story has ended!
Your story has ended, The final page turned, you put down your pen, And closed the book. It was yours to write - But you have left it for us to read, Our memories painting the stories with our own colours, Seeing the tales from our own place within them. The legend that is you will live on in our words As we write our own life’s book.