Funerals can truly be augmented by a poem that is apt and fitting for the person you have just lost. The following list of funeral poems about gymnastics are perfect for those who excelled at the supple sport of gymnastics, at whatever level.
Gymnasts (Sonnet #52)
by Paul Rowley
When beauty, grace and strength are all combined
In vault, uneven bars and floor and beam,
Young girls, petite, yet strong and well defined,
Then dance and jump and swing, each with a dream.
The four-inch beam has filled the best with fear.
They leap and land, then totter and some fall.
The lines around the floor seem oft so near,
That tiny step outside can lose it all.
And yet, I watch the magic that they bring
With ease and supple strength and smiling face.
They leap and spin and fly and then they swing,
There’s nothing that they do that’s commonplace.
Amazed, I watch the tiny gymnasts all,
While praying, as they flip, that none will fall.
Her Chosen Way
by Mark Gregory
She dances on the balance beam,
So light, so free, so full of grace,
Her body moves with effortless ease,
In this, her chosen place.
She tumbles on the floor with art,
Her movements swift and sure,
Her strength and flexibility,
So wonderful, so pure.
She leaps and flips and twists and splits,
Her body a blur in motion,
Her dedication and discipline,
A beautiful emotion.
She is a gymnast, a true athlete,
Her talent and grace on display,
She inspires us all with strength and skill,
In this, her chosen way.
The Way He Moved
by Mark Gregory
It was the way he moved that made him seem
So much a part of what he did;
In every somersault and cartwheel
He seemed to turn himself to air.
He seemed to cast off weight and gravity
As if he were no more than a spirit
Whose substance was its own agility.
And when he stood on his hands, his body
Curled like a wave about to break,
It was as if he had become a conduit
For the energy that lifted him, a lake
Through which the light of motion passed
As if he were a lens that bent
The radiance of his own quickness.
It was a joy to watch him, for he moved
As if he were the embodiment of joy,
As if the energy that animated him
Were a spirit that he couldn’t destroy,
A force that he had learned to channel
Into the grace of his somersaults and cartwheels,
The beauty of his handstands.
He moved with such a sense of ease
That you could almost see the light
That shone within him, the joy he felt
In his own lightness and the flight
That lifted him above the ground.
To access our full list of funeral poems, click here.
All poems featured on this website are free to use during any ceremony, although it is good practice to make sure the author is mentioned, if known. Should you require a celebrant for your ceremony, be it a funeral, a wedding, a naming ceremony or something else, feel free to get in touch. I am a double award-nominated Family and Funeral Celebrant covering the entire UK, and would be happy to help you commemorate in a meaningful and personal way.
