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Poems for the Soul – Part 1
Posted on Friday 7th May 2010 by Louise Harris
This is a difficult post for me, slightly embarrassing but well… today I’m feeling brave.
I’ve been asked by a few people what I’m going to do when Music for the Soul finishes in 5 track lists time. In all honesty I just make this blog malarkey up as I go along so I’d not thought that far ahead. It was suggested to me (by my mum!) that we invite people to share poems for funerals that they love and maybe share their own personally written ones too – like we’ve done for Music for the Soul but in Poetry.
So I thought I better start this thing off with sharing my own personal poem!
Yes yes… It may be a bit morbid to write your own funeral poem - but hey who cares I’ve done it now so here it is!!!
Do not let me go quietly, for I want you to celebrate…
My life was beautiful, my life was great,
Do not let me go quietly for I want you to celebrate…
The air that I’ve breathed, the vodkas I’ve drunk,
The love I have made, into the night sky I have sunk,
The impact on others, as they’ve had on me,
The circle of life and the fun it can be,
The memories we’ve made, the changes we’ve changed,
Seeing familiar faces day by day as we have aged,
The songs we have sung, and the music we danced,
I’d do it all again given half the chance,
The excitement of life’s lessons and journeys afar,
How inspirations and influences evolved into great stars,
The imprints on infinity will always be there,
The power of life’s energy and the effect that they bare,
How happy I’ve been, god I only have to think once,
How lucky I’ve been to have lived a life of abundance,
Grateful for the chance to have known so much love,
An unexplainable power that can only come from above,
I could live forever, but I would never know,
To say ‘yes I have lived my life’ is by far the best way to go.
So do not feel empty, or fight back the tears,
Just fill in the blanks living out your years.
With a smile and the knowledge that there is more for you to discover,
Then one day our energies will meet under the cover…
of the great universe of life.
Louise Harris 2009
Your Comments
There are 9 responses to “Poems for the Soul – Part 1”
Alison Crook says:
Wow am quite looking forward to your funeral if that’s the fabulous standards! (hope I never attend really lol!). Suggest you add copyright to that poem -it’s pure genious and so obviously you! Xxx
Louise Harris says:
Do not let me go quietly, for I want you to celebrate…
My life was beautiful, my life was great,
Do not let me go quietly for I want you to celebrate…
The air that I’ve breathed, the vodkas I’ve drunk,
The love I have made, into the night sky I have sunk,
The impact on others, as they’ve had on me,
The circle of life and the fun it can be,
The memories we’ve made, the changes we’ve changed,
Seeing familiar faces day by day as we have aged,
The songs we have sung, and the music we danced,
I’d do it all again given half the chance,
The excitement of life’s lessons and journeys afar,
How inspirations and influences evolved into great stars,
The imprints on infinity will always be there,
The power of life’s energy and the effect that they bare,
How happy I’ve been, god I only have to think once,
How lucky I’ve been to have lived a life of abundance,
Grateful for the chance to have known so much love,
An unexplainable power that can only come from above,
I could live forever, but I would never know,
To say ‘yes I have lived my life’ is by far the best way to go.
So do not feel empty, or fight back the tears,
Just fill in the blanks living out your years.
With a smile and the knowledge that there is more for you to discover,
Then one day our energies will meet under the cover…
of the great universe of life.
Louise Harris
Copyright 2009
but free for people to use at funerals and add their own fav drink lol!!!
:O)
hillary says:
absolutely gorgeous, Lou.
Liz Lee says:
Lovely, poetic and completely you. Perhaps I’ll borrow it for mine….
lous mom says:
wow…..i hope i never have tohear it, but how moving,and you ,it is….
glad we all have that feeling for life
Ruthann Disotell says:
For Ed…
I once was a kid, but I can’t recall when.
I’ve been dodging the years for a while.
And I’ve made lots of friends and I’ve told lots of yarns,
And when lucky, I’ve made someone smile
I married, raised kids and worked hard all my life,
At a job handed down by my dad.
And I tried to do good, to the best I knew how,
And I don’t think I did things half bad.
I learned on the way, that true joy is hard work,
And attaining it’s all up to you.
By canoe on the river, or a cruise at high sea,
You’re in charge of the smile inside you.
Hang out with your family, hop a scooter to town,
Take time to have coffee with friends.
And work if you must, but remember to play,
Because sooner or later it ends.
Let your life be a marker for what you believe.
Treat folks like you want to be treated.
Look them straight in eye, ask a question or two.
When you speak, they will know that you mean it.
And don’t be afraid to speak up for yourself
But keep others’ feelings in mind.
You can state how things are, from your point of view,
And still manage to remain kind.
And when I am gone, I hope you’ll all know,
As cantankerous as I may be,
I was happy to spend, some choice times with you,
As I hope you enjoyed times with me.
-Ruthann Disotell 8-19-08
Louise Harris says:
Ruthann, that is wonderful, if you don’t mind i will re-post it on the next blog update
Charles Cowling says:
How good it would/will (!!) be to hear a REAL poem, not a ‘funeral poem’. I love this. It’s you. And it would help me a lot, that’s the point. (‘Funeral poems’ are so generic. They turn a person centred funeral into an anybody-centred funeral).
Bravo, Louise! That took courage!!
Tammy Edwards says:
This is really a beautiful poem.
I love this paragraph “I learned on the way, that true joy is hard work, And attaining it’s all up to you. By canoe on the river, or a cruise at high sea, You’re in charge of the smile inside you.”
Very nice! TE