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Poems Read During the Memorial Service
Remember by Christina Georgina Rossetti
Remember me when I am gone away,
Gone far away into the silent land;
When you can no more hold me by the hand,
Nor I half turn to go, yet turning stay.
Remember me when no more, day by day,
You tell me of our future that you planned:
Only remember me; you understand
It will be late to counsel then or pray.
Yet if you should forget me for a while
And afterwards remember, do not grieve:
For if the darkness and corruption leave
A vestige of the thoughts that I once had,
Better by far you should forget and smile
Than that you should remember and be sad.
Ocean Ranger
Sometimes when the sea winds are howling,
You can feel it in your bones.
It's you the wind is calling, It's come to take you home.
But I never thought it would be this soon.
The fear grabs hold,
and this heart beats faster
than the winds outside.
The sea; cold and unfeeling,
lies in wait.
It yelled our names, and Lord I hear mine.
I cried like a child, from fear,
wanting to be elsewhere.
For my family I was afraid.
The deck started tilting,
listing to one side.
Panic started screaming; each one the voice of death.
That's when I felt it was the end of the story, my story.
Everything I knew, yet never wanted to believe.
I prayed to God, the God of the sea.
The earth of men who prayed to them in moments such as these.
I ran outside, the sea was laughing.
Then, cold and hard, splashing like thunder,
the wind, that unholy sound called my name.
I slipped into cold darkness
with hands raised towards my God, any God.
The water, so cold; I screamed. The water became my scream.
Silence; cries; mine...
Anonymous
Do not stand at my grave and weep;
I am not there. I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry;
I am not there. I did not die.
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