In Memory Poem

Poem About Gifts Of Loving Memories

Grief often overwhelmed me after my sister, Brenda, suddenly died. As I went through her things, I'd stop to look at mementos and photos, or reread the cards she had kept, all of which evoked wonderful memories. I realized how fortunate I was to have had her in my life and knew how much she loved me. If I had died, instead of her, I would have never wanted her to suffer like I had and knew she'd want the same for me. It was her precious, loving gifts that helped me mend my grieving heart.

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My sister just loss someone and compared them to a butterfly which shows us "what a soft touch is like and the beauty of what love could be, but after a short time in our lives they die. So...

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Gifts For A Grieving Heart

© more by Belinda Stotler

Published by Family Friend Poems May 2016 with permission of the Author.

Your face frozen in blissful eternal sleep now.
As I kiss you goodbye on your cold brow,
A last tearful glance as you're taken away.
There was nothing anyone could do or say.
My pleas and tears won't bring you back to me.
Comforting friends could not help me to see.
No words could explain to my grieving heart,
Why cruel death had to tear my world apart.

Sometimes I'd find treasured mementos you kept
Or reread the cherished cards from you as I wept;
Fond memories return from photos of smiling faces,
Or suddenly come to mind in the strangest places;
Although I sometimes sadly long for all the yesterdays
And sorely miss our chats and your understanding ways,
Your gifts helped me relive the good times we shared,
And reminded me that you loved me and truly cared.

Even though your death is a most painful memory,
The memories in recesses of my mind's treasury
Have helped save me from grief's dark, lonely decree,
That your death meant only painful sorrow for me;
For the loving bonds remain and will never depart,
Ensuring that you are with me as a part of my heart,
To comfort and sustain me until I see you once more,
When I'm called to come join you on an eternal shore.

I wonder if your spirit lingered a while on that fateful day
And witnessed grief's sorrow as your body was taken away.
Did you see me gently kiss you goodbye on your cold brow,
And hear me ask how I was to continue without you now?
Did you hear the sobs and see the tears flowing from me,
Before you answered calls from across a vast eternal sea?
For I'd want you to know, before your spirit had to depart,
That you had left love's precious gifts for a grieving heart.

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Has this poem touched you? Share your story!
  • Laura Gibbard by Laura Gibbard
  • 7 years ago

Such a beautiful poem. This poem hit right on about my mum and me. She died in 2013, and I could not stop crying for 3 months straight. It took me 3 years to get through the grieving process and try to move on. Thank you for such a beautiful reminder of her and the night she went from me.

  • Florence Johnson by Florence Johnson
  • 7 years ago

I really liked this poem. I recently lost my best friend of 28 years 5 days before Christmas 2016. This poem describes our friendship. I talked to her every day and saw her almost every day for the last 28 years. I feel a great hole in my world. I spent more of my life with her in it than my parents. I will be 60 in 2 months. My parents have been gone since I was 23. My friend Emmy filled the gap my parents left. There is no one to fill her gap. I learned to move on with my parents because of my husband, but I do not seem to be able to get past her loss. I know she would not want me to linger, yet I see no way around this grief. I feel totally lost. This poem describes us to a tee. God bless the writer. You hit our feelings and wrote them down. I can't wait to see her again!

My sister just loss someone and compared them to a butterfly which shows us "what a soft touch is like and the beauty of what love could be, but after a short time in our lives they die. So why did the butterflies have to die?" So I wrote this to her and hope it helps you: "Nothing lasts forever, and when it ends it disrupts our minds; we feel something is missing and long to have it back the way it was. Eventually, we must accept that it won't ever be like it was and try to adjust. There are memories we cherish and some we won't and lessons we learned that make us wiser and perhaps a better person. Instead of mourning what will never be again, think of what you would have never had had that person never been in your life. Each life touches others in so many different ways, either positively or negatively, but it helps you grow into a better person. There are many butterflies that fly into our lives. We need to look for them and cherish the time we have with them while it lasts."

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