The Top 5 Most Heartfelt Poems to Read at a Funeral

It can be difficult to find the words to share your feelings at the funeral of a loved one. Fortunately, poets throughout the ages have been creating prose that can help provide the backdrop for a special memory of your loved one. These poems are some of the most evocative, allowing you to share your feelings with the mourners at a memorial service.

Death by Joyce Grenfell

If I should die before the rest of you, 

Break not a flower nor inscribe a stone. 

Nor, when I’m gone, speak in a Sunday voice, 

But be the usual selves that I have known. 

Weep if you must, 

Parting is hell. 

But life goes on, 

So . . . sing as well.

His Journey’s Just Begun by Ellen Brenneman

Don’t think of him as gone away

his journey’s just begun, 

life holds to 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 touched . . . 

for nothing loved is ever lost

and he was loved so much.

Remember me (She is Gone) by David Harkins

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 will come back

Or you can open your eyes and see all that she has left.

A Child of Mine by Edgar Guest

I will lend you, for a little time, 

A child of mine, He said. 

For you to love the while he lives, 

And mourn for when he’s dead.

No Night Without by Helen Steiner Rice

There is no night without a dawning

No winter without a spring

And beyond the dark horizon

Our hearts will once more sing . . .

For those who leave us for a while

Have only gone away

Out of a restless, care-worn world

Into a brighter day. 

Grieving is a process, with each day taking us one step further down the path of life. It is our sincerest wish that these words will help you find comfort in the passing of your loved one. At Mountain View Funeral Home and Cemetery, our family has been taking care of families in the Mesa, Arizona area for over 60 years. Contact us at any time at 480-832-2850 or via email to wecare@mvfuneralhome.com to learn more about our beautiful memorial gardens and mortuary options.