Funeral Poems
There Is No Night Without A Dawning
by Helen Steiner Rice
No winter without a spring
And beyond the dark horizon
Our hearts will once more sing ….
For those who leave us for a while
Have only gone away
Out of a restless, care worn world
Into a brighter day
Corn Grinders
by Sarojini Naidu
O little mouse, why dost thou cry
While merry stars laugh in the sky?
Alas! alas! my lord is dead!
Ah, who will ease my bitter pain?
He went to seek a millet-grain
In the rich farmer's granary shed;
They caught him in a baited snare,
And slew my lover unaware:
Alas! alas! my lord is dead.
O little deer, why dost thou moan,
......
To Laugh Often And Much
by Ralph Waldo Emerson
To laugh often and much;
to win the respect of the intelligent people
and the affection of children;
to earn the appreciation of honest critics
and endure the betrayal of false friends;
to appreciate beauty;
to find the best in others;
to leave the world a bit better
whether by a healthy child,
a garden patch,
or a redeemed social condition;
......
After The Funeral (In Memory Of Ann Jones)
by Dylan Thomas
After the funeral, mule praises, brays,
Windshake of sailshaped ears, muffle-toed tap
Tap happily of one peg in the thick
Grave's foot, blinds down the lids, the teeth in black,
The spittled eyes, the salt ponds in the sleeves,
Morning smack of the spade that wakes up sleep,
Shakes a desolate boy who slits his throat
In the dark of the coffin and sheds dry leaves,
That breaks one bone to light with a judgment clout'
After the feast of tear-stuffed time and thistles
......
So Many Different Lengths Of Time
by Brian Patten
How long does a man live after all?
A thousand days or only one?
One week or a few centuries?
How long does a man spend living or dying
and what do we mean when we say gone forever?
Adrift in such preoccupations, we seek clarification.
We can go to the philosophers
but they will weary of our questions.
We can go to the priests and rabbis
......
bouquet of white flowers
by Ella Sophia
i never received flowers
there was none
, not even the color i like
no yellow , no pink , no purple
i never received flowers
only when i was buried
mind buried alive
body deep down at sea
......
If Only I Could Speak
by Everleigh Blackburn
Oh mother, oh father, if only I could speak
If only I could tell you all that I feel,
All that I wish I had said before it was too late.
I wish I could tell you that I love you,
That your laughter was the music of my heart,
That your smile was my guiding light in the darkest of nights.
I wish I could tell you that I'm sorry,
For the pain I caused, for the tears I made you cry,
......
In One City
by Nkwachukwu Ogbuagu
I know a funeral when I walk into one
I can tell between a funeral and a burial
They are two entirely different artworks
One is done on grand canvas, with drunken strokes
Of sashaying brush and bleeding paints;
The other is done on mere sand, with foot and hand,
Forming sandcastles built by toddlers.
I know too well because I have my senses
Intact after the last funeral I attended on a gambolling coast.
I should know because I participated in the burial of a
......
Saying Goodbye
by Haych Nano
Today we place you to final rest
know that with your presence we've been blessed.
six feet down in your grave
we shed a tear, goodbye we wave.
the time has come to let you go
the sound rings out of the graveyard crow.
the clouds may part, the sun may shine
the priest speaks out, its now the time.
family cuddle and hug as we walk away
i'll never forget such a painful day.
......
Fathers Funeral
by Haych Nano
Today we place you to final rest
know that with your presence we've been blessed.
six feet down in your grave
we shed a tear, goodbye we wave.
the time has come to let you go
the sound rings out of the graveyard crow.
the clouds may part, the sun may shine
the priest speaks out, its now the time.
family cuddle and hug as we walk away
i'll never forget such a painful day.
......
