Poetry is a wonderful thing, it eases our burdens and helps us to express our deepest emotions. Here is a compilation of poems about death and peoples beliefs about what happens to our loved one's after death.
***********************************************************************************
VESPERS
I know the night is near at hand: The mists lie low on hill and bay, the autumn
sheaves are dewless dry; but I have had the day. Yes I have had, dear Lord,
the day; when at thy call I have the night brief but the twilight as I pass
from light to dark from dark to light.
-S. Weir Mitchell
___________________________________________________________________________________________
THE HERO DEAD
Time brings not death, it brings but changes; I know he
rides, but rides afar and camps tonight upon a star where all his other
comrades are. Today some other planet
ranges to all eternity he binds us; He
links the planet and the star, he rides ahead, the trail he finds us and where
he is and where we are will never seem again so far.
-Douglas Malloch
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
"INTO FOREVER"
They’ll never know me while I’m young, the children I
mean. Oh, they’ll have vague memories of
outings and birthday parties and reprimands; but they won’t recall the face of
a young mother bending near their fevered brows or a young hand smoothing back
their windswept hair. When they first
fall in love they’ll think I couldn’t possibly understand that I never felt the
glow of a summer romance. And when they
are past knowing me as a need meter only, the hand they hold will be older,
lined with experience, not the softer, more slender hand that clasped theirs as
we ran along the beach or shared tiny teacups and tiny prayers or listened to
the night sounds together. The eyes that
seek not to reflect clarity of thought and judgment regarding their care and
happiness will be dimmed and weary perhaps turning to them for
inspiration. The shoulders that held
aloft their troubled worlds may willingly shift the load to younger, stronger
ones. The time, strength and vision will
fade, but my love for them can only grow in depth and breadth and into
forever. I gladly exchange the young
hands and clear eyes for the treasure of time given me to be a mother.
-Gloria A. Foster
____________________________________________________________________________________________
ON EAGLE’S WINGS
And he will raise you up on eagle’s wings, bear you on the
breath of dawn, Make you to shine like the sun, and hold you in the palm of his
hand.
-Michael Joncas
____________________________________________________________________________________________
WHEN I QUIT
When I quit
this mortal share, and mosey round this earth no more, don’t weep don’t sigh,
don’t grieve, don’t sob; I may have struck a better job. Don’t go and buy a large bouquet, for which
you’ll find it hard to pay. Don’t hang
round me looking blue; I may be better off than you. Don’t tell folks I was a saint, or anything
you know I ain’t. If you have stuff like
that to spread, please hand it out before I’m dead. If you have roses bless your soul just pin
one on my button hole. But do it while I’m at my best, instead of when I’m safe
at rest.
-Laura V. Brown
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
THE BEST IS YET TO COME
The race is
long, sometimes I stumble.
He helps me
up each time I fall.
When I lose
hope he gives me courage,
so I’ll
press on and give my all.
I know I’ll
never have to run alone, and I can hardly wait to make it home. The best is yet to come, the promise of
heaven awaits. I’ll finally see my Lord
and Savior face to face, for he has set me free for all eternity. When my life on earth is done, the best is
yet to come.
In every
joy, in every trial I need to keep my eyes on him. He is the way, my soul provider, no matter
how the road may bend. When earthly
treasures cloud my point of view, he reminds me that I’m only passing through.
Nothing can
compare to what’s in store when we will join the angels singing “Holy is the
Lord.”
I know I’ll
never have to run alone, and I can hardly wait to make it home. The best is yet to come, the promise of
heaven awaits. I’ll finally see my Lord
and Savior face to face, for he has set me free for all eternity. When my life on earth is done, the best is
yet to come.
- Scott Krippayne and Steve Siler
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Surely Jesus
loves fishermen
For He chose
them for His own,
to be with
Him and learn from Him
and someday
share His home.
It must have
been their trust in God and patience He found rare,
that keeps
them very near His heart
and ever in
His care.
-Anne Kujawa
_________________________________________________________________________________
CROSSING THE BAR
Sunset and
evening star
And one
clear call for me!
And may
there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put
out to sea.
But such’ a
tide as moving seems asleep,
too full for
sound and foam.
When that
which drew from out
The
boundless deep
turns again
home.
Twilight and
evening bell,
and after
that the dark!
And may
there be no sadness of farewell
when I
embark.
For tho’
from out our bourne
of time and
place
the flood
that bear me far,
I hope to
see my pilot face to face,
when I have
crossed the bar.
-Alfred Tennyson
_________________________________________________________________________________
OH MY FATHER
Oh my
Father, thou that dwellest
in the high
and glorious place,
when shall I
regain thy presence
and again
behold thy face.
In thy holy
habitation
did my
spirit once reside?
In my first
primeval childhood,
was I
nurtured by thy side?
For a wise
and glorious purpose
thou has
placed me here on earth,
and
with-held the recollection
of my former
friends and birth.
Yet oft times
a secret something
whispered,
“You’re a stranger here.”
And I felt
that I had wandered
from a more
exalted sphere.
I had
learned to call thee, Father,
through thy
spirit from on high;
but until
the key of knowledge
was restored
I know not why.
In the
heavens are parents single?
No; the
thought makes reason stare!
Truth is
reason; truth eternal
tells me
I’ve a mother there.
When I leave
this frail existence,
When I lay
this mortal by,
Father,
Mother, may I meet you
In thy royal
courts on high?
Then at
length, when I’ve completed
all you sent
me forth to do,
with you
mutual approbation
let me come
and dwell with you.
-Eliza R. Snow
_________________________________________________________________________________
THE PEACE PRAYER
Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is error, the truth;
Where there is doubt, the faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
And where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled, as to console;
To be understood, as to understand;
To be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.
-Saint Francis of Assisi
_________________________________________________________________________________
SHE IS GONE
You can shed
tears that she is gone
Or you can
smile because she has lived.
You can
close your eyes
and pray
that she’ll come back,
or you can
open your eyes
and see all
that she’s left.
Your heart
can be empty
because you
can’t see her,
or you can
be full
of the love
you shared.
You can turn
your back on tomorrow
and live
yesterday,
or you can
be happy for tomorrow
because of
yesterday.
You can
remember her
and only
that she’s gone,
or you can
cherish her memory
and let it
live on.
You can cry
and close your mind,
be empty and
turn your back,
or you can
do what she’d want;
smile, open
your eyes, love and go on.
-David Harkins
_________________________________________________________________________________
THE ROSE BEYOND THE
WALL
Near a shady wall a rose
once grew,
Budded and blossomed in God's free light,
Watered and fed by the morning dew,
Shedding it's sweetness day and night.
As it grew and blossomed fair and tall,
Slowly rising to loftier height,
It came to a crevice in the wall
Through which there shone a beam of light.
Onward it crept with added strength
Onward it crept with added strength
With never a thought of fear or pride,
It followed the light through the crevice's length
And unfolded itself on the other side.
The light, the dew, the broadening view
Were found the same as they were before,
And it lost itself in beauties new,
Breathing it's fragrance more and more.
Shall claim of death cause us to grieve
And make our courage faint and fall?
Nay! Let us faith and hope receive--
The rose still grows beyond the wall,
Scattering fragrance far and wide
Scattering fragrance far and wide
Just as it did in days of yore,
Just as it did on the other side,
Just as it will forevermore.
- A. L. Frink
_________________________________________________________________________________
What a friend we have in Jesus,
all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
all because we do not carry
everything to God in prayer.
Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged;
take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful
who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness;
take it to the Lord in prayer.
Are we weak and heavy laden,
cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge;
take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do thy friends despise, forsake
thee?
Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In his arms he'll take and shield
thee; thou wilt find a solace there.
- Joseph M. Scriven
_________________________________________________________________________________
O gentle presence, peace and joy and power;
O Life divine, that owns each waiting hour,
Thou Love that guards the nestling's faltering flight!
Keep Thou my child on upward wing tonight.
O Life divine, that owns each waiting hour,
Thou Love that guards the nestling's faltering flight!
Keep Thou my child on upward wing tonight.
Love is our refuge; only with mine eye
Can I behold the snare, the pit, the fall:
His habitation high is here, and nigh,
His arm encircles me, and mine, and all.
Can I behold the snare, the pit, the fall:
His habitation high is here, and nigh,
His arm encircles me, and mine, and all.
O make me glad for every scalding tear,
For hope deferred, ingratitude, disdain!
Wait, and love more for every hate, and fear
No ill,--since God is good, and loss is gain.
Beneath the shadow of His mighty wing;
In that sweet secret of the narrow way,
Seeking and finding, with the angels sing:
"Lo, I am with you alway,"--watch and pray.
No snare, no fowler, pestilence or pain;
No night drops down upon the troubled breast,
When heaven's aftersmile earth's tear-drops gain,
And mother finds her home and heav'nly rest.
-Mary Baker Eddy
_________________________________________________________________________________
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 still are.
Call me by my old familiar name, speak to me in the
easy way which you always used. Put no difference
in your tone, wear no forced air of solemnity or
sorrow.
Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes we
enjoyed together.
Pray, smile, think of me, pray for me.
Let my name be ever the household word that it always
was, let it be spoken without effect, without the
trace of a shadow on it.
Life means all that it ever meant. It is the same as it
ever was; there is unbroken continuity.
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 round the corner.
All is well.
—Henry Scott Holland
_________________________________________________________________________________
Leaf after leaf drops
off,
flower after flower,
Some in the chill,
some in the warmer hour:
Alive they flourish,
and alive they fall,
And the Earth who
nourished them
receives them all.
Should we, her wiser
sons,
be less content
To sink into her lap
when life is spent?
-Walter Savage Landor
_________________________________________________________________________________
MYSTERY
What is this mystery that men call death?
My friend before me lies; in all save breath
He seems the same as yesterday. His face
So like to life, so calm, bears not a trace
Of that great change which all of us so dread.
I gaze on him and say: He is not dead,
But sleeps; and soon he will rise and take
Me by the hand. I know he will awake
And smile on me as he did yesterday;
And he will have some gentle word to say,
Some kindly deed to do; for loving thought
Was warp and woof of which
his life was wrought.
He is not dead. Such souls forever live
In boundless measure of the love they give.
—Jerome B. Bell
_________________________________________________________________________________
REQUIEM
Under the wide and starry sky
Dig the grave and let me lie;
Glad did I live and gladly die,
And I laid me down with a will.
This be the verse you ’grave for me:
Here he lies where he long’d to be;
Home is the sailor, home from the sea,
And the hunter home from the hill.
—Robert Louis Stevenson
_________________________________________________________________________________
Death be not proud,
though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadful,
for thou art not so:
For those whom thou think’st
thou dost overthrow
Die not, poor death,
nor yet canst thou kill me.
One short sleep past,
we wake eternally,
And Death shall be no more:
Death, thou shalt die.
—John Donne
_________________________________________________________________________________
Death is only an old door
Set in a garden wall.
On quiet hinges it gives at dusk,
When the thrushes call.
Along the lintel are green leaves,
Beyond, the light lies still;
Very weary and willing feet
Go over that sill.
There is nothing to trouble any heart,
Nothing to hurt at all.
Death is only an old door
In a garden wall.
-Nancy Byrd
_________________________________________________________________________________
If this were my last day I’m almost sure
I’d spend it working in my garden. I
Would dig about my little plants, and try
To make them happy, so they would endure
Long after me. Then I would hide secure
Where my green arbor shades me from the sky,
And watch how bird and bee and butterfly
Came hovering to every flowery lure.
Then, as I rested, perhaps a friend or two,
Lovers of flowers would come,
and we would walk
About my little garden paths and talk
Of peaceful times when all the world
seemed true.
This may be my last day, for all I know;
What a temptation just to spend it so!
-Anne Higginson Spicer
_________________________________________________________________________________
The butterfly emerges
from its silken shell---
Reborn, it arises,
no longer bound to earth.
Free at last, the butterfly glides
to heights unknown before.
So do our loved ones find
a beautiful release
as, earthbound no more,
they leave our sight and joyfully rise
to a garden of matchless beauty,
a place of light and peace.
–Evelyn Phillips
_________________________________________________________________________________
THERE IS NO DEATH
There is a plan far greater than
the plan you know;
There is a landscape broader
than the one you see.
There is a haven where
storm-tossed souls may go—
You call it death—we,
immortality.
You call it death—this seeming
endless sleep;
We call it birth—the soul at
last set free.
’Tis hampered not by time or
space—you weep.
Why weep at death? ’Tis
immortality.
Farewell, dear voyageur—’twill
not be long.
Your work is done—now may peace
rest with thee.
Your kindly thoughts and
deeds—they will live on.
This is not death—’tis
immortality.
Farewell, dear voyageur—the
river winds and turns;
The cadence of your song wafts
near to me,
And now you know the thing all
men learn:
There is no death—there’s
immortality.
—Unknown
_________________________________________________________________________________
THE CHRISTIAN'S “Good-night”
Sleep on, beloved, sleep, and take thy rest;
Lay down thy head upon thy Saviour’s breast;
We love thee well, but Jesus loves thee best—
Good-night! Good-night! Good-night!
Calm is thy slumber as an infant’s sleep,
But thou shalt wake no more to toil and weep;
Thine is a perfect rest, secure and deep—
Good-night! Good-night! Good-night!
Until the Easter glory lights the skies;
Until the dead in Jesus shall arise,
And He shall come, but not in lowly guise—
Good-night! Good-night! Good-night!
Until made beautiful by Love Divine,
Thou, in the likeness of thy Lord shalt shine,
And He shall bring that golden crown of thine—
Good-night! Good-night! Good-night!
Only “Good-night,” beloved—not “Farewell!”
A little while, and all His saints shall dwell
In hallowed union, indivisible—
Good-night! Good-night! Good-night!
Until we meet again before His throne,
Clothed in the spotless robes He gives His own;
Until we know even as we are known—
Good-night! Good-night! Good-night!
—Sarah Doudney
_________________________________________________________________________________
TO A WATERFOWL
There is a Power whose care
Teaches thy way along that pathless coast—
Teaches thy way along that pathless coast—
The desert and limitless air—
Lone wandering, but never lost.
And soon that toil shall end;
Soon shalt thou find a summer home, and rest,
And scream among thy fellows; reeds shall bend,
Soon, o’er thy sheltered rest.
He who, from zone to zone,
Guides through the boundless sky
thy certain flight,
In the long way that I must tread alone,
Will lead my steps aright.
—William Cullen Bryant
_________________________________________________________________________________
NATURE
As a fond mother, when the day is o’er,
Leads by the hand her little child to bed,
Half willing, half reluctant to be led,
And leave his broken playthings on the floor,
Still gazing at them through the open door,
Nor wholly reassured and comforted
By the promises of others in their stead,
Which, though more splendid,
may not please him more;
So Nature deals with us, and takes away
Our playthings one by one, and by the hand
Leads us to rest so gently, that we go
Scarce knowing if we wish to go or stay,
Being too full of sleep to understand
How far the unknown transcends
the what we know.
-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
_________________________________________________________________________________
HOMECOMING
I believe there is Someone
waiting for me,
Waiting to say: “Welcome Home!”
Someone I have never seen, but
whom I will recognize
in the depths of my heart because
He has lived
there since the beginning of
time.
Someone who has never doubted my
return, never failed
to still my doubts about my
return.
I believe there is Someone who
knows me so intimately,
loves me so totally, that joy
will spark
spontaneously when we reunite in
the land of
immortal Birth.
Tears will be wiped away; Sadness
and fear will
disappear as mist when it meets
the morning sun.
This is whom I seek, who seeks
me.
He has never left me alone.
For He is Self of my self,
Soul of my soul,
Life of my very life.
—Sr. Joan Metzner
_________________________________________________________________________________
I felt the light of heaven
it was shining down on me,
I heard His voice, He called my
name,
“my child, come follow Me;”
There is no pain, there is no hurt
nor sadness anywhere,
In heaven there is joy and love
and I’ll be waiting there;
For on the day I left this earth
I felt your many tears,
And now I watch you from above
and keep you very near;
It hurts to be apart from me, but
be patient for the day,
When we meet again in love and
peace
when you too come this way.
—Stephanie Clarke
_________________________________________________________________________________
AMAZING GRACE
Amazing grace! how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind but now I see.
Through many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.
When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we’d first begun!
—John Newton, John P. Rees
_________________________________________________________________________________
I am standing upon the seashore. A
ship at my side spreads her white
sails to the morning breeze and
starts for the blue ocean. She is
an object of
beauty and strength. I stand and
watch her
until at length she hangs like a speck
of
white cloud just where the sea and
sky come
together to mingle with each other.
Then someone at my side says:
“There,
she is gone!”
“Gone where?”
Gone from my sight. That is all.
She is
just as large in mast and hull and
spar as she
was when she left my side and she
is just as
able to bear her load of living
freight to her
destined port.
Her diminished size is in me, not
in her.
And just as the moment when someone
at
her side says: “There, she is
gone!” there are
other eyes watching her coming, and
other
voices ready to take up the glad
shout: “Here
she comes!”
-Anonymous
_________________________________________________________________________________
COMFORT
There is a tower of strength
For you and for meÊ—Ê
Tis that which we call faith.
And as the sea
Oft dashes on the rocks
To no avail
So storms may come to us;
But in the gale
We lean upon that faith
And soon once more
We see a beacon light-
It is the shore.
-Franklin Lee Stevenson
_________________________________________________________________________________
FINAL HARVEST
He was bound to the land from the day of his birth
His roots anchored deep in the fertile earth
Nurtured, sustained, by the soil he grew
And his life, like his furrows, ran straight and true.
In faith, each spring, he planted the seeds
In hope, to reap his family’s needs
With patience, he waited for the harvest to come
To gather the fruits of his labor home.
Ever turning seasons, the years sped past
Til the final harvest came at last
Then claimed anew by beloved sod
He was gathered home to be with God.
—Barbara W. Weber
_________________________________________________________________________________
ETERNAL COLOR
In spring, tree’s leaves were merely buds
when everything was new.
They couldn’t shade, nor hide a bird,
but every day they grew.
Now autumn’s here, and leaves have turned
from summertime’s full bloom.
They separate from branch, their home,
and snow will be their tomb.
How sad that when they’re at their peak
it’s time for them to go.
Yet, how colorful they made this world;
it was God’s plan, I know.
Your life, too, was most beautiful;
how brightly shown your heart.
For now, my friend, you’ve joined the leaves,
and from us, did depart.
Separated from us on earth
you’ve joined the Lord above.
We’ll miss you here, our dearest friend,
but glad you taught us love.
-LeeAnn Abell
_________________________________________________________________________________
SUCCESS
He has achieved success who has lived well,
laughed often, and loved much; who has
enjoyed the trust of pure women, the respect
of intelligent men and the love of little
children; who has filled his niche and
accomplished his task; who has left the
world better than he found it, whether an
improved poppy, a perfect poem, or a rescued
soul; who has always looked for the best in
others and given them the best he had; whose
life was an inspiration; whose memory a
benediction.
-Bessie Anderson Stanley
_________________________________________________________________________________
They that love beyond
the world cannot be
separated by it.
Death is but crossing
the world,
as friends do the seas;
they live in
one another still.
—William Penn
_________________________________________________________________________________
On this wondrous sea,
Sailing silently,
Ho! pilot, ho!
Knowest thou the shore
Where no breakers roar,
Where the storm is o’er?
In the silent west
Many sails at rest,
Their anchors fast;
Thither I pilot thee—
Land, ho! Eternity!
Ashore at last!
-Emily
Dickenson
_________________________________________________________________________________
Life, believe, is not a dream,
So dark as sages say;
Oft a little morning rain
Foretells a pleasant day:
Sometimes there are clouds of
gloom,
But these are transient all;
If the shower will make the
roses bloom,
Oh, why lament its fall?
Rapidly, merrily,
Life’s sunny hours flit by;
Gratefully, cheerily,
Enjoy them as they fly.
What though death at times steps
in,
And calls our Best away?
What though Sorrow seems to win,
O’er hope a heavy sway?
Yet Hope again elastic springs,
Unconquered, though she fell,
Still buoyant are her golden
wings,
Still strong to bear us well.
Manfully, fearlessly,
The day of trial bear,
For gloriously, victoriously,
Can courage quell despair!
-Charlotte Brontë
_________________________________________________________________________________
ABOU BEN ADHEM
Abou ben Adhem (may his tribe increase!)
Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace,
And saw — within the moonlight in his room,
Making it rich and like a lily in bloom —
An angel, writing in a book of gold.
Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold,
And to the presence in the room he said,
"What writest thou?" — The vision raised its head,
And, with a look made of all sweet accord,
Answered, "The names of those who love the Lord."
"And is mine one?" said Abou. "Nay, not so,"
Replied the angel. Abou spoke more low,
But cheerly still, and said, "I pray thee, then,
Write me as one that loves his fellow men."
The angel wrote and vanished. The next night
It came again with a great wakening light,
And showed the names whom love of God had blessed,
And lo! Ben Adhem's name led all the rest.
- James Henry Leigh Hunt
_________________________________________________________________________________
REMEMBER
Remember me when I am gone away,
Gone far away into the silent land;
When you can go 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 planned:
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.
When you can go 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 planned:
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.
--Christina Rossetti
--Christina Rossetti
_________________________________________________________________________________
Epitaph Upon A Child That Died
Here she lies, a pretty bud,
Lately made of flesh and blood:
Who as soon as fell fast asleep
As her little eyes did peep.
Give her strewings, but not stir
The earth that lightly covers her.
-Robert Herrick
_________________________________________________________________________________
Epitaph Upon A Child That Died
Here she lies, a pretty bud,
Lately made of flesh and blood:
Who as soon as fell fast asleep
As her little eyes did peep.
Give her strewings, but not stir
The earth that lightly covers her.
Lately made of flesh and blood:
Who as soon as fell fast asleep
As her little eyes did peep.
Give her strewings, but not stir
The earth that lightly covers her.
-Robert Herrick
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
LOOK FOR ME IN RAINBOWS
LOOK FOR ME IN RAINBOWS
Time for me to go now, I won't say goodbye;
Look for me in rainbows, way up in the sky.
In the morning sunrise when all the world is new,
Just look for me and love me, as you know I loved you.
Time for me to leave you, I won't say
goodbye;
Look for me in rainbows, high up in the sky.
In the evening sunset, when all the world is through,
Just look for me and love me, and I'll be close to you.
It won't be forever, the day will come
and then
My loving arms will hold you, when we meet again.
Time for us to part now, we won't say
goodbye;
Look for me in rainbows, shining in the sky.
Every waking moment, and all your whole life through
Just look for me and love me, as you know I loved you.
Just wish me to be near you,
And I'll be there with you.
Music and lyrics:
Conn Bernard (1990). Vicki Brown
Time for me to go now, I won't say goodbye;
Look for me in rainbows, way up in the sky.
In the morning sunrise when all the world is new,
Just look for me and love me, as you know I loved you.
Look for me in rainbows, way up in the sky.
In the morning sunrise when all the world is new,
Just look for me and love me, as you know I loved you.
Time for me to leave you, I won't say
goodbye;
Look for me in rainbows, high up in the sky.
In the evening sunset, when all the world is through,
Just look for me and love me, and I'll be close to you.
Look for me in rainbows, high up in the sky.
In the evening sunset, when all the world is through,
Just look for me and love me, and I'll be close to you.
It won't be forever, the day will come
and then
My loving arms will hold you, when we meet again.
My loving arms will hold you, when we meet again.
Time for us to part now, we won't say
goodbye;
Look for me in rainbows, shining in the sky.
Every waking moment, and all your whole life through
Just look for me and love me, as you know I loved you.
Look for me in rainbows, shining in the sky.
Every waking moment, and all your whole life through
Just look for me and love me, as you know I loved you.
Just wish me to be near you,
And I'll be there with you.
And I'll be there with you.
Music and lyrics:
Conn Bernard (1990). Vicki Brown
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
TURN AGAIN TO LIFE
TURN AGAIN TO LIFE
If I should die and leave you here a while,
be not like others sore undone,
who keep long vigil by the silent dust.
For my sake turn again to life and smile,
nerving thy heart and trembling hand to do
something to comfort other hearts than thine.
Complete these dear unfinished tasks of mine
and I perchance may therein comfort you.
--Mary
Lee Hall
If I should die and leave you here a while,
be not like others sore undone,
who keep long vigil by the silent dust.
For my sake turn again to life and smile,
nerving thy heart and trembling hand to do
something to comfort other hearts than thine.
Complete these dear unfinished tasks of mine
and I perchance may therein comfort you.
be not like others sore undone,
who keep long vigil by the silent dust.
For my sake turn again to life and smile,
nerving thy heart and trembling hand to do
something to comfort other hearts than thine.
Complete these dear unfinished tasks of mine
and I perchance may therein comfort you.
--Mary
Lee Hall
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
MY PRECIOUS SON
Unendingly I mourn my precious son
Too early yet this earthly home he left,
Perfidious sleep confounded nature's order
To leave his loves perpetually bereft.
Those golden dreams and aspirations,
The seed of yesterday a withered bloom,
Those baubles which are cause to celebrate
In death now mock us gently from his tomb.
How treacherous death does steal on
youth's exuberance,
To wreak such havoc from the ecstasy of life,
Where once was only joy and future promise
Tormented hearts endure eternal strife.
-Pamela Davies
MY PRECIOUS SON
Too early yet this earthly home he left,
Perfidious sleep confounded nature's order
To leave his loves perpetually bereft.
Perfidious sleep confounded nature's order
To leave his loves perpetually bereft.
Those golden dreams and aspirations,
The seed of yesterday a withered bloom,
Those baubles which are cause to celebrate
In death now mock us gently from his tomb.
The seed of yesterday a withered bloom,
Those baubles which are cause to celebrate
In death now mock us gently from his tomb.
How treacherous death does steal on
youth's exuberance,
To wreak such havoc from the ecstasy of life,
Where once was only joy and future promise
Tormented hearts endure eternal strife.
To wreak such havoc from the ecstasy of life,
Where once was only joy and future promise
Tormented hearts endure eternal strife.
-Pamela Davies
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
EPITAPH TO A FRIEND
EPITAPH TO A FRIEND
An honest man here lies at rest,
The friend of man, the friend of truth,
The friend of age, and guide of youth:
Few hearts like his, with virtue warm'd,
Few heads with knowledge so inform'd;
If there's another world, he lives in bliss;
If there is none, he made the best of this.
-Robert Burns
An honest man here lies at rest,
The friend of man, the friend of truth,
The friend of age, and guide of youth:
Few hearts like his, with virtue warm'd,
Few heads with knowledge so inform'd;
If there's another world, he lives in bliss;
If there is none, he made the best of this.
The friend of man, the friend of truth,
The friend of age, and guide of youth:
Few hearts like his, with virtue warm'd,
Few heads with knowledge so inform'd;
If there's another world, he lives in bliss;
If there is none, he made the best of this.
-Robert Burns
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
SO GO AND RUN FREE
SO GO AND RUN FREE
So go and run free with the angel
So go and run free with the angel
Dance around the golden clouds
Dance around the golden clouds
For the lord has chosen you to be with him
For the lord has chosen you to be with him
And we should feel nothing but proud
Although he has taken you from us
And our pain a lifetime will last
Your memory will never escape us
But make us glad for the time we did have
Your face will always be hidden
Deep inside our hearts
Each precious moment you gave us
Shall never, ever depart
So go and run free with the angels
As they sing so tenderly
And please be sure to tell them
To take good care of you for me
-Author unknown.
And we should feel nothing but proud
Although he has taken you from us
And our pain a lifetime will last
Your memory will never escape us
But make us glad for the time we did have
Your face will always be hidden
Deep inside our hearts
Each precious moment you gave us
Shall never, ever depart
So go and run free with the angels
As they sing so tenderly
And please be sure to tell them
To take good care of you for me
Although he has taken you from us
And our pain a lifetime will last
Your memory will never escape us
But make us glad for the time we did have
Your face will always be hidden
Deep inside our hearts
Each precious moment you gave us
Shall never, ever depart
So go and run free with the angels
As they sing so tenderly
And please be sure to tell them
To take good care of you for me
-Author unknown.
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
FOR KATRINA'S SUN DIAL
Time is too slow for those that wait,
Too swift for those that fear,
Too long for those that grieve,
Too short for those who rejoice,
But for those who love, time is Eternity.
-Henry Van Dyke
FOR KATRINA'S SUN DIAL
Time is too slow for those that wait,
Too swift for those that fear,
Too long for those that grieve,
Too short for those who rejoice,
But for those who love, time is Eternity.
Too swift for those that fear,
Too long for those that grieve,
Too short for those who rejoice,
But for those who love, time is Eternity.
-Henry Van Dyke
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
INSIDE OUR DREAMS
Where do people go to when they die?
Somewhere down below or in the sky?
'I can't be sure,' said Grandad, 'but it seems
They simply set up home inside our dreams.'
-Jeanne Willis
INSIDE OUR DREAMS
Where do people go to when they die?
Somewhere down below or in the sky?
'I can't be sure,' said Grandad, 'but it seems
They simply set up home inside our dreams.'
Somewhere down below or in the sky?
'I can't be sure,' said Grandad, 'but it seems
They simply set up home inside our dreams.'
-Jeanne Willis
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
WHERE DO THEY GO TO?
WHERE DO THEY GO TO?
Where do they go to, the people who
leave?
Are they around us, in the cool evening breeze?
Do they still hear us, and watch us each day?
I'd like you to think of them with us that way.
Where do they go to, when no longer
here?
I think that they stay with us, calming our fear
Loving us always, holding our hands
Walking beside us, on grass or on sand.
Where do they go to, well it's my
belief
They watch us and help us to cope with our grief
They comfort and stay with us, through each of our days
Guiding us always through life's mortal maze.
-KevF - 21st August
2007
Where do they go to, the people who
leave?
Are they around us, in the cool evening breeze?
Do they still hear us, and watch us each day?
I'd like you to think of them with us that way.
Are they around us, in the cool evening breeze?
Do they still hear us, and watch us each day?
I'd like you to think of them with us that way.
Where do they go to, when no longer
here?
I think that they stay with us, calming our fear
Loving us always, holding our hands
Walking beside us, on grass or on sand.
I think that they stay with us, calming our fear
Loving us always, holding our hands
Walking beside us, on grass or on sand.
Where do they go to, well it's my
belief
They watch us and help us to cope with our grief
They comfort and stay with us, through each of our days
Guiding us always through life's mortal maze.
They watch us and help us to cope with our grief
They comfort and stay with us, through each of our days
Guiding us always through life's mortal maze.
-KevF - 21st August 2007
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
NOT IN VAIN
NOT IN VAIN
If I can stop one heart from breaking,
I shall not live in vain:
If I can ease one life the aching, Or cool one pain,
Or help one fainting robin
Unto his nest again,
I shall not live in vain.
-Emily Dickinson
If I can stop one heart from breaking,
I shall not live in vain:
If I can ease one life the aching, Or cool one pain,
Or help one fainting robin
Unto his nest again, I shall not live in vain.
If I can ease one life the aching, Or cool one pain,
Or help one fainting robin
Unto his nest again, I shall not live in vain.
-Emily Dickinson
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
I'm surprised to find my poem, "Into Forever," in this collection and curious as to how that happened. I composed it in 1974 when my young child was ill and I sat at her bedside to comfort her. As I did so, I thought of my own mother who would have done the same thing with me although I would never remember. I am complimented to see it here, as it has always been intended to share. Gloria Foster, Texas 3/23
ReplyDelete