Death Poems
Remember Me
by Margaret Mead
Remember Me:
To the living, I am gone.
To the sorrowful, I will never return.
To the angry, I was cheated,
But to the happy, I am at peace,
And to the faithful, I have never left.
I cannot be seen, but I can be heard.
So as you stand upon a shore, gazing at a beautiful sea - remember me.
As you look in awe at a mighty forest and its grand majesty - remember me.
As you look upon a flower and admire its simplicity - remember me.
......
The Slave Dealer
by Thomas Pringle
From ocean's wave a Wanderer came,
With visage tanned and dun:
His Mother, when he told his name,
Scarce knew her long-lost son;
So altered was his face and frame
By the ill course he had run.
There was hot fever in his blood,
And dark thoughts in his brain;
And oh! to turn his heart to good
......
Leaf
by Evelyn Judy Buehler
Red leaf
with the stars,
falling.
Maroon dusk
crawling.
Twirling last
dance!
Prettier, livelier
than ever
before.
......
Prayer Before Birth
by Louis Macneice
I am not yet born; O hear me.
Let not the bloodsucking bat or the rat or the stoat or the
club-footed ghoul come near me.
I am not yet born, console me.
I fear that the human race may with tall walls wall me,
with strong drugs dope me, with wise lies lure me,
on black racks rack me, in blood-baths roll me.
I am not yet born; provide me
......
Strange Meeting
by Wilfred Owen
It seemed that out of the battle I escaped
Down some profound dull tunnel, long since scooped
Through granites which Titanic wars had groined.
Yet also there encumbered sleepers groaned,
Too fast in thought or death to be bestirred.
Then, as I probed them, one sprang up, and stared
With piteous recognition in fixed eyes,
Lifting distressful hands as if to bless.
And by his smile, I knew that sullen hall;
By his dead smile I knew we stood in Hell.
......
My last wish
by Mario Odekerken
Do not leave behind a statue,
no marble,no inscription
to speak for who I was.
Let my name fade
like footprints in wet sand.
Do not remember me with flowers
that wither in a vase,
but with silence
when you look at the sky
......
Mijn laatste wens
by Mario Odekerken
Laat geen standbeeld achter,
geen marmer,geen inscriptie
die spreekt voor wie ik was.
Laat mijn naam verdwijnen
zoals voetstappen in nat zand.
Herinner mij niet met bloemen
die verwelken in een vaas,
maar met stilte
wanneer jij naar de hemel kijkt
......
Looking at my own grave
by Mario Odekerken
The grass is quieter here,
as if even the wind
bows gently for what is to come.
I stand at the edge
and see no stone,
no name,
only a place
where one day I will disappear.
......
Kijkend naar mijn eigen graf
by Mario Odekerken
Het gras is stiller hier,
alsof zelfs de wind
zachtjes buigt voor wat komt.
Ik sta aan de rand
en zie geen steen,
geen naam,
alleen een plek
waar ik ooit zal verdwijnen.
......
Waiting for Death
by Ghairo Daniels
WAITING FOR DEATH
How tedious it is waiting for Death
when She is still dressing up
to sit in a quagmire of silent prayer
while sandwiches turn dry
How tedious when a nappy
must still be changed
as Forgiveness waits for a touch
......
