I need a poem to read at a funeral....

nana8 that was goig to be my suggestion - beautiful poem.

The Treasure by Rupert Brooke is short & references having fun. The comparison he makes in the last few lines make it especially suitable for mothers, although I don't think he intended it so:

When colour goes home into the eyes,
And lights that shine are shut again,
With dancing girls and sweet bird's cries
Behind the gateways of the brain;
And that no-place which gave them birth, shall close
The rainbow and the rose:-

Still may Time hold some golden space
Where I'll unpack that scented store
Of song and flower and sky and face,
And count, and touch, and turn them o'er,
Musing upon them: as a mother, who
Has watched her children all the rich day through,
Sits, quiet-handed, in the fading light,
When children sleep, ere night.

August 1914.

Good luck.

Do not stand at my grave and weep is lovely my personal favourite. Very sorry for the loss of your friend your fond memories will always be with you. ?

I'm so very sorry to hear of your loss Lucky Girl.

What a hard time for you...not easy at all. If you don't hold it together when you're speaking nobody will mind. They will all understand and it might just give them the chance to let the sadness out themselves.

I read the poem Posh Paws suggests above at my best friend's funeral. It is uplifting and conveys the message, 'remember me but keep on going and live life' rather than being maudlin.

Having something someone else had written out helped me so much, I think if I'd written my own words it would have been too emotional and perhaps about me, not her.

The poem ends 'All is well' Those words comforted me so much then and still do now. I wish you strength and comfort.

If you don't mind being irreverent; hope it doesn't offend:

My Funeral by Wendy Cope

I hope I can trust you, friends, not to use our relationship
As an excuse for an unsolicited ego-trip.
I have seen enough of them at funerals and they make me cross.
At this one, though deceased, I aim to be the boss.
If you are asked to talk about me for five minutes, please do not go on for eight
There is a strict timetable at the crematorium and nobody wants to be late
If invited to read a poem, just read the bloody poem. If requested
To sing a song, just sing it, as suggested,
And don’t say anything. Though I will not be there,
Glancing pointedly at my watch and fixing the speaker with a malevolent stare,
Remember that this was how I always reacted
When I felt that anybody’s speech, sermon or poetry reading was becoming too protracted.
Yes, I was intolerant, and not always polite

And if there aren’t many people at my funeral, it will serve me right.

I would certainly like it at my funeral.

'If' by Rudyard Kipling was read at a funeral I went to recently

Crossing the Bar, especially for someone connected to the sea

Another one with references to the sea:

Day is ended, dim my eyes,
but journey long before me lies.
Farewell, friends! I hear the call.
The ship's beside the stony wall.
Foam is white and waves are grey;
beyond the sunset leads my way.
Foam is salt, the wind is free;
I hear the rising of the Sea.

Farewell, friends! The sails are set,
the wind is east, the moorings fret.
Shadows long before me lie,
beneath the ever-bending sky,
but islands lie behind the Sun
that I shall raise ere all is done;
lands there are to west of West,
where night is quiet and sleep is rest.

J R R Tolkien

All of these are lovely, but some are long!

I love this extract from a Wordsworth poem:

What though the radiance that was once so bright
be now forever taken from my sight
Though nothing can bring back the hour
of splendour in the grass, of glory in the flower
We will grieve not - rather find strength in what remains behind.

We had this at my late fathers cremation. Change the gender to suit woman

Don't think of him as gone away his journey's just begun,
life holds so many facets this earth is only one.

Just think of him as resting from the sorrows and the tears in a place of warmth and comfort where there are no days and years.

Think how he must be wishing that we could know today how nothing but our sadness can really pass away.

And think of him as living
in the hearts of those he touched... for nothing loved is ever lost and he was loved so much.

“His Journey’s Just Begun” by Ellen Brennemen

Warm summer sun,
Shine kindly here,
Warm southern wind,
Blow softly here.
Green sod above,
Lie light, lie light.
Good night, dear heart,
Good night, good night.
(Mark Twain)

You can shed tears that she’s gone
Or you can smile because she lived.

You can close your eyes and pray that she will come back
Or you can open your eyes and see all that she’s left you.

Your heart can be empty because you can’t see her
Or you can be full of the love you’ve 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 has 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 would want,
Smile, open your eyes, go on and live life to the full.
Anon..

When you described your friend Luckygirl this one came to mind, short and comforting

That was read at a dear friend’s funeral a couple of weeks ago Spice101 and I’ve just shed tears again. So moving isn’t it.

Sorry to open a raw wound Juliet. I love this and I believe it was read at the funeral of the Queen Mother

spice101 I read that at my mum's funeral a few months ago-it's not too long and resonated with how I was feeling.
Mum loved everything about the royal family and would've liked the fact that it was read at the Queen Mother's funeral- wish I'd known that at the time as I could have mentioned that fact and brought a lighter moment to the proceedings too.

My DD, who is a Celebrant, carries a huge range of suitable poems/readings. Any good Celebrant will, having gathered the life history of the Deceased, be able to recommend some appropriate things from which you can chose. Celebrants will also be well aware of the time constraints (usually 30, occasionally 45 mins at a Crematorium, though you can request a double slot.) and advise accordingly.

If there is a gathering or meal to follow, then some of the music/poems/reminiscences can be presented there.

I'm so sorry for your loss Luckygirl especially as you are already grieving. What a comfort to be able to read a poem and honour your friend. I wish you strength at the funeral and afterwards.

My aunt, a very keen gardener, chose to have this poem read at her funeral.

The Gentle Gardener

I'd like to leave but daffodills
to mark my little way,
To leave but tulips red and white
behind me as I stray;
I'd like to pass away from earth
and feel I'd left behind
But roses and forget-me-nots
for all who come to find.

I'd like to sow the barren spots
with all the flowers of earth,
To leave a path where those who come
should find but gentle mirth;
And when at last I'm called upon
to join the heavenly throng
I'd like to feel along my way
I'd left no sign of wrong.

And yet the cares are many
and the hours of toil are few;
There is not time enough on earth
for all I'd like to do;
But, having lived and having toiled,
I'd like the world to find
Some little touch of beauty
that my soul had left behind.

Edgar Albert Guest

Above all choose a poem you truly like so people actually believe you are sincere.

Here are some shortish ones that may suit your friend's personality

beyond.life/blog/10-funny-funeral-poems-for-an-uplifting-service/

Some beautiful thoughtful poems in this post. I wish I had known them a few years ago when my mother died.
I'm suggesting one not to have"The old rugged Cross', traditional in my family sung at my father's and lots of other family members.
When I had to plan my mother's the minister suggested he read the "Old rugged Cross' as no family member felt able to with the same outcome all the congregation in tears.
Choose something you like and think reflects your friend one with an uplifting ending.

Not, How Did He Die, But How Did He Live?
Not, how did he die, but how did he live?
Not, what did he gain, but what did he give?
These are the units to measure the worth
Of a man as a man, regardless of his birth.
Nor what was his church, nor what was his creed?
But had he befriended those really in need?
Was he ever ready, with words of good cheer,
To bring back a smile, to banish a tear?
Not what did the sketch in the newspaper say,
But how many were sorry when he passed away.

I’ve always liked this one. Can easily be read with the right pronouns!

Lovely poems.

Crossing the Bar by Alfred, Lord Tennyson.

BY ALFRED, LORD TENNYSON
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 may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
When I have crost the bar.
n

I wrote this some years ago and it was first used at an American war vets funeral. It has been used many times since around the world as well as my own dear hubby's funeral.
................................

Don’t weep for me I have not gone I am with you every day
Don’t feel sad and lonely I am with you come what may
My presence is beside you daily as I wipe away your tears
And I walk with you always to help you through your fears
Some day we will meet again so until that time is here.
Have faith in the fact that your love will keep me near.
Don’t grieve for me because I am in the Promised Land
Live your life as you should just as the dear Lord planned.

Copyright © - Maisie Walker 2000 - All rights reserved

My granddaughter read this at my husban
ds funeral.It was very fitting.
Don't Be Too Sad
I've lived my life
I've tried my best
The memories I hold dear
Are experiences I have known
Of happiness and tears
The love of my family
The care of my friends
The good times I've shared
Right to the end
I've travelled life's byways
Seen children grow up
Experienced life's living
And drunk from love's cup
I leave you with memories
With thoughts of you all
I'm no longer with you
But your mind will recall
The good times we shared
The laughter we had
Please cherish these memories
And don't be too sad.

That is a most sincere and forthright poem. It could hardly be better. What a good girl to write that!