Celebration of Life Poems

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 sun 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.

— Mary Elizabeth Frye

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 shared together. 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

Do not stand at my grave and weep, I am not there; I do not sleep. Do not stand at my grave and cry, I am not there; I did not die.

— Mary Elizabeth Frye

Don't grieve for me, for now I'm free, I'm following the path God laid for me. I took His hand when I heard His call, I turned my back and left it all.

— Anne Lindgren Davison

Copyright Anne Lindgren Davison (1974).

You can shed tears that he is gone Or you can smile because he has lived.

— David Harkins

Copyright David Harkins.

One night I dreamed a dream. As I was walking along the beach with my Lord, Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life. For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand.

— Mary Stevenson / Margaret Fishback Powers

Copyright disputed among multiple claimants. Treat as copyrighted.

When I come to the end of the road And the sun has 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 for 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 take And each must go alone. It's all a part of the master plan, A step on the road to home. When you are lonely and sick at heart, Go to the friends we know, And bury your sorrows in doing good deeds. Miss me, but let me go.

— Christina Rossetti

You can shed tears that she is gone, Or you can smile because she has lived.

— David Harkins

Copyright David Harkins. Used with permission in many funeral settings.

I read of a man who stood to speak At the funeral of a friend. He referred to the dates on the tombstone From the beginning... to the end.

— Linda Ellis

Copyright Linda Ellis. All rights actively enforced. Permission required for use.

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth and height My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight For the ends of being and ideal grace. I love thee to the level of every day's Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light. I love thee freely, as men strive for right. I love thee purely, as they turn from praise. I love thee with the passion put to use In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith. I love thee with a love I seemed to lose With my lost saints. I love thee with the breath, Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose, I shall but love thee better after death.

— Elizabeth Barrett Browning

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in my heart)i am never without it(anywhere i go you go,my dear;

— E.E. Cummings

Copyright E.E. Cummings Trust. Published by Liveright Publishing.

If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you, If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubting too; If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, Or being lied about, don't deal in lies, Or being hated, don't give way to hating, And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise: If you can dream — and not make dreams your master; If you can think — and not make thoughts your aim; If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster And treat those two impostors just the same; If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools, Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken, And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools: If you can make one heap of all your winnings And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss, And lose, and start again at your beginnings And never breathe a word about your loss; If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew To serve your turn long after they are gone, And so hold on when there is nothing in you Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!' If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with Kings — nor lose the common touch, If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you, If all men count with you, but none too much; If you can fill the unforgiving minute With sixty seconds' worth of distance run, Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it, And — which is more — you'll be a Man, my son!

— Rudyard Kipling

I cannot say, and I will not say That he is dead. He is just away! With a cheery smile, and a wave of the hand, He has wandered into an unknown land, And left us dreaming how very fair It needs must be, since he lingers there. And you — oh you, who the wildest yearn For an old-time step, and the glad return, Think of him faring on, as dear In the love of There as the love of Here. Think of him still as the same. I say, He is not dead — he is just away!

— James Whitcomb Riley

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.

— David M. Romano

Copyright David M. Romano Estate.

Though my soul may set in darkness, It will rise in perfect light; I have loved the stars too truly To be fearful of the night.

— Sarah Williams

We had a wonderful grandmother, One who never really grew old; Her smile was made of sunshine, And her heart was solid gold. Her eyes were as bright as shining stars, And in her cheeks fair roses you see; We had a wonderful grandmother, And that's what she'll always be. She had a kindly word for each And a smile for all she knew; She was generous, kind and thoughtful, With a heart as good as true. She was always there to guide us, With a gentle, loving hand; And now she's watching over us From that far and peaceful land.

— Unknown

You can shed tears that she is gone, Or you can smile because she has lived.

— David Harkins

Copyright David Harkins. Adapted for grandmother use.

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.

— David M. Romano

Copyright David M. Romano Estate.

I am home in Heaven, dear ones; Oh, so happy and so bright! There is perfect joy and beauty In this everlasting light. All the pain and grief is over, Every restless tossing passed; I am now at peace forever, Safely home in Heaven at last.

— Unknown

Some things in life are bad, They can really make you sad, Other things just make you mad.

— Eric Idle / Monty Python

Copyright Eric Idle. From Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979).