Funeral Poems For Friends

1. Death Is Nothing At All

• By Henry Scott-Holland

Famous Poem

in Famous Death Poems

Death is nothing at all.
It does not count.
I have only slipped away into the next room.
Nothing has happened.

Everything remains exactly as it was.
I am I, and you are you,
and the old life that we lived so fondly together is untouched, unchanged.
Whatever we were to each other, that we are still.

Call me by the old familiar name.
Speak of me in the easy way which 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 that we 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 an effort, without the ghost of a shadow upon it.

Life means all that it ever meant.
It is the same as it ever was.
There is absolute and unbroken continuity.
What is this death but a negligible accident?

Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight?
I am but waiting for you, for an interval,
somewhere very near,
just round the corner.

All is well.
Nothing is hurt; 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!

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2. Do Not Stand At My Grave And Weep

• By Clare Harner

Famous Poem

in Famous Death Poems

  Do not stand
    By my grave, and weep.
    I am not there,
  I do not sleep-
I am the thousand winds that blow
I am the diamond glints in snow
I am the sunlight on ripened grain,
I am the gentle, autumn rain.
As you awake with morning’s hush,
I am the swift up-flinging rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight,
I am the day transcending soft night.
  Do not stand
    By my grave, and cry-
  I am not there.
    I did not die.

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3. Remember

• By Christina Rossetti

Famous Poem

in Famous Death Poems

Remember me when I am gone away,
         Gone far away into the silent land;
         When you can no more hold me by the hand,
Nor I half turn to go yet turning stay.
Remember me when no more day by day
         You tell me of our future that you plann'd:
         Only remember me; you understand
It will be late to counsel then or pray.
Yet if you should forget me for a while
         And afterwards remember, do not grieve:
         For if the darkness and corruption leave
         A vestige of the thoughts that once I had,
Better by far you should forget and smile
         Than that you should remember and be sad.

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4. Song

• By Christina Rossetti

Famous Poem

in Famous Death Poems

When I am dead, my dearest,
    Sing no sad songs for me;
Plant thou no roses at my head,
    Nor shady cypress tree:
Be the green grass above me
    With showers and dewdrops wet;
And if thou wilt, remember,
    And if thou wilt, forget.

I shall not see the shadows,
   I shall not feel the rain;
I shall not hear the nightingale
   Sing on, as if in pain:
And dreaming through the twilight
    That doth not rise nor set,
Haply I may remember,
    And haply may forget.

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7. My Wish For You

• By Debra Chesnoff
• Published by Family Friend Poems March 2011 with permission of the Author.

in Loss of a Friend Poems

I wish I could give you many more years.
I wish I could erase away all of your tears.

I want to take away all of your pain.
I want to give you sunshine in the rain.

May each new day be a perfect gift. 
May love surround you, may your spirits lift.

If someone had to describe you, so many words come to mind.
Beauty and grace, a heart so kind.

You radiate warmth like a blazing fire.
You are courage and wisdom. You truly inspire.

You attract like a magnet beautiful things.
You sparkle and shine like a diamond ring.

You light up a room when you walk in.
If someone feels sad, you can make them grin.

You are elegant and charming. You know right from wrong.
You are the melody from a beautiful love song.

You are a breath of fresh air on a hot summer's night.
When there is darkness, you turn on the light.

I do not want these words to make you cry.
I do not want to ever say goodbye.

I believe miracles really do come true.
No one deserves one more than you.

Please know how many lives you touch.
These words are my present. You are loved so much.

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9. Farewell My Friend

• By Judy Marriott
• Published by Family Friend Poems March 2011 with permission of the Author.

in Loss of a Friend Poems

Farewell my friend, you're leaving.
It's time for you to go.
Your friendship was a blessing,
And I will miss you so.
We shared so many secrets.
You brightened up my days.
You brought me so much happiness
With your kind and loving ways.
You lifted up my spirits
When I was feeling blue.
No matter what was happening,
You knew just what to do.
We ran between the raindrops
And walked beneath the sun,
Ran barefoot in the summertime,
And oh, we had such fun.
Through all the ups and downs of life
The good times and the sad,
From high school days to golden years,
The best friend I ever had.
God is here to take you home.
Now you and I must part.
I love you, and forever
You will live within my heart.

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10. Dear Friend

• By Stephanie Solis
• Published by Family Friend Poems March 2015 with permission of the Author.

in Loss of a Friend Poems

Today is the day you will be laid to rest,
But you know what they say,
God only takes the best.
Everything happens for a reason,
Even if we may not agree.
Just promise to look after us,
And if you can,
Save a spot up there for me.
The thought of never seeing you again brings tears to my eyes,
And even more so,
Because all of this was such a surprise.
But we should never question what God has planned.
Sometimes it's not meant for us to understand.
So as we sit here and mourn the loss of a beloved friend,
We have to keep telling ourselves that we will meet again.

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11. MaryAnn's Eternal Garden

• By Sherry Rockhill
• Published by Family Friend Poems February 2014 with permission of the Author.

in Loss of a Friend Poems

You can no longer see me, but please know that I am there 
I am the flowers in the garden, I am the wind beneath your hair
The memories that I left behind, shall forever be with you 
As for me I am in heaven now, where my life will start anew

No longer do I suffer 
No longer do I feel pain 
I'm at peace watching you from heaven now
Until we meet again 

I have always loved my flowers 
With nature I was one 
My flowers are in heaven now
As my time on Earth is done

I am planting my roses in heaven
My lilies and daisies too
For I want my garden to be perfect
On the day God calls for you

When you walk through the gates of Heaven 
I will take you by the hand
And lead you to my eternal garden 
Where we will shall never part again!

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12. My Little Butterfly

• By Barbara Ann Rogers
• Published by Family Friend Poems January 2009 with permission of the Author.

in Loss of a Friend Poems

Today a little butterfly flew by me.
I thought to myself where have you been little butterfly.
You come into this world as a cocoon all by yourself and blossom into
this beautiful butterfly and fly off to see the world.
What you don't realize little butterfly as you flutter through your days
is how you touch those around you in your soft gentle way.
You don't even realize the wonder and awe you create around you.
she fluttered her wings toward me as if she was waving good-by as she
headed towards the horizon.
She looked very happy and content as she went on her way, as if to say
to me "Don't worry I'll be okay".
I was sad to see her go for she had touched my heart in such a way that
I knew my life would never be the same.
She had left an imprint of all the beauty life has to offer.
I knew each time I looked at another butterfly or horizon I would
remember our moment in time when it was only her and I.
I knew I would be a better person all because this little butterfly flew by
me one bright sunny day.

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