11 Funeral Poems For Readings, Eulogies, And Mourning

Death and grief are things that will affect everyone. It doesn’t matter what else the Universe throws your way, we all end up losing the people we love to Death’s gentle embrace. Some grief is a hard, rough thing. It consumes you. Some grief is bittersweet, coloring your world gray but not consuming all. Some grief is delayed, or the passing is anticipated, expected, and easy to cope with. Everyone grieves differently, too. There is no correct way to grieve for your grandparents, parents, siblings, children, friends, spouse, lovers, or pets. Grief may be universal and grieving individual, but all of us struggle for how to express our love and emotions to the deceased. Funeral poems and mourning poems can help a great deal.

When my father passed away suddenly in my early 20s, I channelled my grief through gallows humor, baking, and immersing myself in old photo albums and his walk-in closet. I struggled with words to express the shock of the loss, the pain I felt for my mother and sister’s grief, the helpless feeling I carried inside me. I was profoundly grateful to my long-time hair stylist who gave me a hug, said “You talk about whatever you want, only you know how you feel,” and took me back to my dad’s favorite shade of blonde. Finding poetry that mirrored my emotions was critical for me. Poetry helps us express emotional extremes: love, joy, depression, rage, and, yes, grief. Whether you’re needing the right—although nothing feels right when you’re mourning—words for a funeral reading, eulogy, or obituary, or are simply looking for poems to help you with your own emotions and grieving process these poems are beautiful expressions of love, sadness, hope, and peace.