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 mental health are for those who may have struggled with mental health issues during their life.
No One Knew
by Dick Underwood
No one knew the torment
that you were going through;
We only kept on seeing
What we really wanted to.
We saw the outward smile,
but not your inner pain;
We never really dreamt,
That you would never smile again.
Forgive us if we failed to see,
What we could do to aid;
Or if we failed to comprehend,
How much you were afraid.
We pray your mental anguish,
Will now forever cease;
And that your deep anxieties,
Will be replaced by peace.
We know your pain invaded,
Every single thought you had;
It made you cry internally,
And deeply, deeply sad.
But we in turn remember,
The good times, not the bad;
We remember when you smiled at us,
And not when you were sad.
So when we think about your life,
We won’t dwell upon its close;
We’ll remember all the good times,
And forget about life’s blows.
We’ll remember all the happiness,
The joy and not the tears;
The assurance and the confidence,
And not irrational fears.
Our lives have all been better,
Because you have been there;
So now we leave your memory,
In God’s all-loving care.
Time Will Ease The Hurt
Author Unknown
The sadness of the present days
is locked and set in time,
and moving to the future
is a slow and painful climb.
But all the feelings that are now
so vivid and so real
can’t hold their fresh intensity
as time begins to heal.
No wound so deep will ever go
entirely away
yet every hurt becomes
a little less from day to day.
Nothing can erase the painful
imprints on your mind
but there are softer memories
that time will let you find.
Though your heart won’t let the sadness
simply slide away
the echoes will diminish
even though the memories stay.
Wild Geese
by Mary Oliver
You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting—
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.
You Mattered To Me
by Ruth Morris
You lived your life thinking that no one cared.
You thought you were all alone, your heart feeling tattered.
I am here to tell you that you were wrong
‘Cause you see – [NAME] – to me you mattered.
I loved you when you were angry and mean.
I loved you when you were kind as could be.
I loved you not just because I had to.
I loved you because you mattered to me.
It hurts to know that now you’re gone
And never will your face again I see.
I hurt not because I am supposed to;
I hurt because you mattered to me.
I have to live on each day without you.
It doesn’t get easier as it is supposed to be.
I feel the loss of you to my very soul
Because you see – [NAME] – you mattered to me.
Your touch, your smile, your funny wit.
The times it was just you and me.
I will miss you, [NAME], with all my heart
‘Cause you still matter to me…
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.
