Poems for a funeral needed

Lil2002

Richie23 wrote:

I really like the lyrics to a Katherine jenkins song - The prayer..
not having much joy finding the lyrics on the net though.. and tried listening to the song but get upset and cant write them down!

I'm so sorry for your loss.
Was this the song you meant?


I pray you’ll be our eyes
And watch us where we go
And help us to be wise
In times when we don’t know

Let this be our prayer
As we go our way
Lead us to a place
Guide us with your grace
To a place where we’ll be safe
La luce che to dai

I pray we’ll find your light
Nel cuore restero
And hold it in our hearts
A ricordarchi che
When stars go out each night
L’eterna stella sei
Nella mia preghiera
Let this be our prayer
Quanta fede c’e
When shadows fill our day
Lead us to a place
Guide us with your grace

Give us faith so we’ll be safe.
Sognamo un mondo senza piu violenza

Un mondo di giustizia e di speranza
Ognuno dia la mano al suo vicino
Simbolo di pace e di fraternita

La forza che ci dai
We ask that life be kind
E’il desiderio che
And watch us from above
Ognuno trovi amore
We hope each soul will find
Intorno e dentro a se
Another soul to love

Let this be our prayer
Let this be our prayer
Just like every child
Just like every child

Needs to find a place,
Guide us with your grace
Give us faith so we’ll be safe
E la fede che
Hai acceso in noi
Sento che ci salvera

suzzi2704

Deepest Sympathies mate. This poem was my grandma's favourite and was read at her funeral. It's pretty cool -
"Death is Nothing At All"

Death is nothing at all
I have only slipped away into the next room
I am I and you are you
Whatever we were to each other
That we are still
Call me by my old familiar name
Speak to me in the easy way you always used
Put no difference into your tone
Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow
Laugh as we always laughed
At the little jokes we always enjoyed together
Play, smile, think of me, pray for me
Let my name be ever the household word that it always was
Let it be spoken without effort
Without the ghost of a shadow in it
Life means all that it ever meant
It is the same as it ever was
There is absolute unbroken continuity
What is death but a negligible accident?
Why should I be out of mind
Because I am out of sight?
I am waiting for you for an interval
Somewhere very near
Just around the corner
All is well.
Nothing is past; nothing is lost
One brief moment and all will be as it was before
How we shall laugh at the trouble of parting when we meet again!

Nytehawk

My heart felt condolences. I read this at my mums funeral.......... Heartbreaking but I knew she would like it Mazz
The Cross in My Pocket
(My Friend & me)

I carry a cross in my pocket
A simple reminder to me
Of the fact that I am a Christian
No matter where I may be
~
This little cross is not magic
Nor is it a good luck charm
It isn’t meant to protect me
From any physical harm
~
It is not for identification
For all the world to see
It’s simply an understanding
Between my saviour and me
~
When I put my hand in my pocket
To bring out a coin or a key
The cross is there to remind me
Of the price he paid for me
~
It reminds me also to be thankful
For my blessings day by day
And to strive to serve him better
In all I do and say
~
It’s also a daily reminder
Of his peace and comfort I share
With all who know my master
And give blessing for his care
~
So I carry a cross in my pocket
Reminding nobody else but me
That Jesus Christ is the Lord of my Life
If only I’ll let him be

vikki_louise

hello, im sorry to hear about your nan, one of my "favourite" ones is
When tomorrow starts without me,
and I'm not there to see;
If the sun should rise and find your eyes,
all filled with tears for me;
I wish so much you wouldn't cry,
the way you did today,
while thinking of the many things,
we didn't get to say.





I know how much you love me,
as much as I love you,
and each time that you think of me,
I know you'll miss me too;
But when tomorrow starts without me,
please try to understand,
that an Angel came and called my name,
and took me by the hand,
and said my place was ready,
in heaven far above,
and that I'd have to leave behind,
all those I dearly love.





But as I turned to walk away,
a tear fell from my eye,
for all life, I'd always thought,
I didn't want to die.
I had so much to live for,
so much yet to do,
it seemed almost impossible,
that I was leaving you.





I thought of all the yesterdays,
the good ones and the bad,
I thought of all the love we shared,
and all the fun we had.

If I could relive yesterday,
just even for awhile,
I'd say goodbye and kiss you
and maybe see you smile.

But then I fully realized,
that this could never be,
for emptiness and memories,
would take the place of me.





And when I thought of worldly things,
I might miss come tomorrow,
I thought of you, and when I did,
my heart was filled with sorrow.

But when I walked through heaven's gates,
I felt so much at home.
When God looked down and smiled at me,
from His great golden throne,


He said, "This is eternity,
and all I've promised you".
Today for life on earth is past,
but here it starts anew.
I promise no tomorrow,
but today will always last,
and since each day's the same day,
there's no longing for the past.

But you have been so faithful,
so trusting and so true.
Though there were times you did some things,
you knew you shouldn't do.
But you have been forgiven
and now at last you're free.
So won't you take my hand
and share my life with me?



So when tomorrow starts without me,
don't think we're far apart,
for every time you think of me,
I'm right here, in your heart.


aslo this one


Do Not Stand At My Grave and Weep

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.



a list here http://www.uk-funerals.co.uk/funeral-poems.html

outrageous_monkey

So sorry to hear your sad news on your nan. We lost our nan a few months ago now. This is one of my favourtie funeral poems


Funeral Blues

Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,
Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,
Silence the pianos and with muffled drum
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.

Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead
Scribbling on the sky the message He is Dead.
Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves,
Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.

He was my North, my South, my East and West,
My working week and my Sunday rest,
My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;
I thought that love would last forever: I was wrong.

The stars are not wanted now; put out every one,
Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun,
Pour away the ocean and sweep up the woods;
For nothing now can ever come to any good.

-- W.H. Auden

Knelley

The nicest thing I have ever heard done was a minister who gave every one of the funeral party a wee wrapped sweet. They were told not to eat it until they were told.

During the funeral service he told everyone to take the sweet out and eat it. He went on to explain that the wrapper they held in their hand was the body of the person they loved - it was nothing but an empty shell. The sweet that they were eating was the persons spirit - every one of them had a bit of that person within them. Things they had done, things they had said. It was this that would let the person live on.

To think of that brings a smile to my face and it is so very true. When a loved one dies it is what they meant to everyone around them that carries them on in this world

Sharra

I love a couple of the ones that have been mentioned, we read the 'stop all the clocks' and the Funeral Blue's at my grandparent's funerals.
We lost our nan just before xmas and the poem that got read out for her was Jenny Joseph's 'Warning' - it seemed very appropriate for her somehow.

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat that doesn't go and doesn't suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals and say we've no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick flowers in other people's gardens
And learn to spit

You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat
And eat three pounds of sausages at a go
Or only eat bread and pickle for a week
And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes.

But now we must have clothes that keep us dry
And pay our rent and not swear in the street
And set a good example for the children.
We must have friends to dinner and read the papers

But maybe I ought to practise a little now?
So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised
When suddenly I am old and start to wear purple.

juno

I read this at my mum's funeral:

When I come to the end of the road,
And the sun is set for 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 once we shared,
Miss me, but let me go.

For this is a journey we all must make,
And each must do it alone,
It's all a part of the Master's plan,
A step on the road to home.

So when you are lonely and sad at heart,
Go to the friends we know,
Bury your sorrows in doing your deeds,
Miss me, but let me go.

AnnieH

Hello, I'm sorry to hear of your nan.

I wrote a poem when my FIL died about 3 years ago. My MIl asked me if I would read it out at his funeral. It was and still is one of the hardest things I have ever done. It still makes me cry thinking about it.

Probably not much use to you as it is your nan who died, but may be of use to someone.


The Day The Angel Came

The ones I love are by my side.
An angel quietly waits
Until St Peter calls on her
And he opens up his gates.

She smiles and takes me by the hand.
There are no words to say.
She opens up he golden wings
As if to fly away.

I know that it is time to go
I try to kiss my wife.
I try to say goodbye to her
To my children and my life.

The angel sets my sprit free.
She takes away my pain.
She takes me to reside with her
In her Heavenly domain.

From time to time if you don't mind,
I'll look down from above.
I'd like to pop in now and then
To see the ones I love.

And Bubby*, thank you for your love.
But now, my darling wife.
It's time to say goodbye to you,
To my children and my life.


*MIL's pet name - could put other name in there

VenuS

Hi Richard, So sorry for your loss

My friend wrote this poem for my Nan who died recently, and she ended up getting it published.

Hope you like it.

Smile Once More

That I am not here
You may shed a tear
But in spirit I'll be
In the everday things, that you see.

Do not despair
I am everywhere.
Whether is be the last star at night
Or dawn's first early light.

In time you'll see
You can smile once more
Then save one for me.

---