Finding the right words at a time of loss is not easy. Sometimes the most comforting thing is to discover that someone else has already found them. The poems and verses below are among the most widely chosen for memorial cards and funeral orders of service — each one offering something a little different in tone and feeling.
When choosing a poem for a memorial card, there are no rules. The right poem is simply the one that feels most like the person, or most like what you want to say. Read each one aloud — a poem that reads quietly on a page often says something quite different when spoken.
She Is Gone (He 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’ll come back,
Or you can open your eyes and see all that she has left.
Your heart can be empty because you can’t see her,
Or you can be full of the love that 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 is 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, love and go on.
One of the most commonly chosen poems for memorial cards and funeral services in the UK. Its structure — a series of choices between grief and gratitude — makes it particularly fitting for a family who wants to honour the person’s spirit rather than dwell on the loss. The title can be adapted to he, she or they.
Remember Me
Author unknown
To the living, I am gone,
To the sorrowful, I will never return,
To the angry, I was cheated,
But to the happy, I am at peace,
And to the faithful, I have never left.
I cannot speak, but I can listen.
I cannot be seen, but I can be heard.
So as you stand upon a shore gazing at a beautiful sea,
As you look upon a flower and admire its simplicity,
Remember me.
Remember me in your heart,
Your thoughts, and your memories,
Of the times we loved, the times we cried,
The times we fought, the times we laughed.
For if you always think of me, I will never have gone.
A gentle, widely loved poem that circulates online under various attributions — none verified. Its central idea, that the person lives on in memory and in nature, makes it a natural fit for families of any background or faith.
Afterglow
by Helen Lowrie Marshall
I’d like the memory of me to be a happy one.
I’d like to leave an afterglow of smiles when life is done.
I’d like to leave an echo whispering softly down the ways,
Of happy times and laughing times and bright and sunny days.
I’d like the tears of those who grieve to dry before the sun,
Of happy memories that I leave when life is done.
Short, warm and deliberately hopeful. Works well for someone who would have wanted a lighter, more celebratory tone — and fits comfortably on the back of a memorial card without needing to be shortened.
Let Me Go
Author unknown
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 part of the master plan,
A step on the road to home.
Often misattributed online, this poem’s actual author is unknown. Its message — miss me, but live — makes it one of the most comforting choices for a family wanting to reflect a spirit of acceptance and release.
Funeral Blues
by W. H. Auden (excerpt)
Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,
Prevent the dog from barking with the juicy bone.
Silence the pianos and, with muffled drum,
Bring out the coffin. Let the mourners come.
He was my north, my south, my east and west,
My working week and Sunday rest,
My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song.
I thought that love would last for ever: I was wrong.
One of the most famous elegies in the English language, written by W.H. Auden in 1936. These two stanzas are the most frequently used. The poem speaks directly to the experience of profound personal loss and is particularly fitting for a spouse or life partner.
If I Should Go Tomorrow
Author unknown
If I should go tomorrow
It would never be goodbye,
For I have left my heart with you,
So don’t you ever cry.
The love that’s deep within me
Shall reach you from the stars,
You’ll feel it from the heavens,
And it will heal the scars.
A short, tender poem that works well for a memorial card where space is limited. Its brevity is part of its strength — it says one thing simply and means it.
To Those Whom I Love
Author unknown
When I am gone, release me, let me go.
I have so many things to see and do.
You mustn’t tie yourself to me with too many tears,
But be thankful we had so many good years.
I gave you my love, and you can only guess
How much you’ve given me in happiness.
I thank you for the love that you have shown,
But now it is time I travelled on alone.
So grieve for me a while, if grieve you must,
Then let your grief be comforted by trust.
A gentle farewell written in the voice of the person who has died — as though they are speaking directly to those left behind. Particularly moving when chosen by a family who felt the person would have said something like this.
You might also find our article on funeral readings helpful when planning the wider service, and our guide to hymns and classical music if you are considering music alongside a reading.
You’re also welcome to download our free Verses Booklet (PDF), a printable collection of the verses on this page.
Including a poem on your memorial card
At Fitting Farewell, memorial cards are designed individually for each family — the poem, the photographs and the design are all brought together for you. We can advise on layout and on which poems work best at different sizes and formats. Call us free on 0800 612 6484 or send us a message to talk through what you have in mind.
