No one finds it easy to talk about death or deal with it. When your emotions are running high, it can be hard to find the right words to say to someone who has lost someone close to them. Sometimes you don't say anything at all, which can be even worse than saying the wrong thing. Poems are sometimes the best way to say what you want to say. During a funeral or memorial service, poems can help everyone feel more at ease.
Family and friends who are sad want people to remember their loved one and pay attention to them. People often find it easier to get through their own grief when they see a life celebrated and hear words of sympathy and celebration from other people. The right poem at a memorial service can set the tone for the whole thing. Written condolences can get to the heart of a grieving person much better than spoken ones. Simple and comforting words that acknowledge a loss, along with a touching sympathy or condolence poem, can touch a heart in a way that nothing else can.
Having a memorial poem or other piece of poetry to look back on can help you feel better. A poem can be about the person's life or it can just be kind words. The poem could be about an important event in the life of the person being remembered, or it could just be kind words from a close friend. Most of the time, these things are kept for a long time, framed and given to the family, or left at the gravesite as a reminder of the person who died.
There are many poems written for memorial services, condolences, and expressions of sympathy that are easy to find. Poems that range from sad and heartfelt to lighthearted and even funny have been written by both amateur and professional poets to put into words how people feel when someone close to them dies. If you are asked to speak at a memorial or funeral service and can't find the words to describe how this loss has affected you or your family, you might want to include a poem.
To add a poem to a eulogy or letter of condolence, you should first think about the person and what they would have liked or enjoyed reading. If the person who died liked being outside, a memorial poem with bright forest or nature imagery might speak to the audience and be a fitting way to honour the person who died. If the person who died liked to play practical jokes or was easygoing, a poem with a bit of humour might remind the family of what a happy spirit the person had.
Look in the poetry section of your local bookstore for books that have poems for memorials or condolences. You can also search online for poetry that has been posted. Poems can be about different things and have different styles. Flowery or overly dramatic poetry isn't the only kind. Many family members and friends of the dead choose to write their own poems or essays about them to be read at memorial services or posted on online memorial sites. This is a great way for people who are able to write down how they feel to do so and share their words to help other family members deal with their grief.
Poetry is a powerful way to deal with grief, show love or pain, or remember a friend or family member who has died. Other people who have lost someone will appreciate it.
~ Ben Anton, 2008
