Find a funeral poem that puts your feelings into words
Rather than give you an endless list of actual poems, I’ve put together the websites I have found most useful for Funeral Poetry. If you spend a little time exploring these you’ll quickly see what style of poetry resonates with you, and be able to refine your search.
For example, you might quickly decide that something religious is called for, with words about your God and a spiritual afterlife. Or you might be looking for a poem that relates to a keen gardener, or someone who has died unusually young.
It’s worth looking at a variety of sources, because poetry is so very personal. Somewhere you will find something that speaks directly to you, or your loved one, and you’ll know that you’ve found what you are looking for.
Remember copyright
Unless you can’t find the name of the person who wrote the poem or quotation, you should always credit any words that you copy from someone else. Usually this means putting their name or the source at the bottom of your printed poem, or giving this information at the end of your reading. In theory you should ask permission, but in practice this is rarely done except for a lengthy work.
Once 70 years have expired since the death of an author his work enters the public domain, which means you don’t have to worry about asking permission (but should still credit an author out of courtesy).
Here’s my list of favourite funeral poem sites
Funeral Helpers an American site with lots of poems, including some audio versions.
Funeral-Poems contains many amateur poems written with love, as well as more traditional verses.
Lasting Post has an alphabetical list of poems, which included thoughtful poems for funerals
Love Lives On contains a long list of love and loss poems sorted into helpful categories
Good Reads contains some moving literary extracts about grief.