Bereavement Poems and Re

Bereavement Poems and Readings

Introduction

This is a list of poems and readings that I have found meaningful and affecting, both for myself and for clients, family, and friends. They are not only about bereavement, but also touch on awareness of mortality, aging, dying, death, and how we find meaning in and make sense of these existential realities that we all must face.

The poems express a wide range of emotions and understandings of these issues. They encompass sadness, anger, fear, anxiety, shock, wonder, joy, humor, relief, bitterness, frustration, disgust, distress, despair, resignation, indignation, rebellion, and more. Some are religious or spiritual. Others are cynical or satirical.

If you pass them on to others, be careful. Make sure that you respect the person’s perspective and focus, their feelings, beliefs, and values. Be aware of where they are in this process, what they can take in, and what they may not be ready, willing, or able to face.

I stress this because of something I did, when I was a home health social worker in the early years of the AIDS epidemic. There wasn’t much hope for a cure at that time. Probably more for my own needs, I read David Bergman’s poem, Death and the Young Man, to a young man with AIDS. He became furious and summarily “fired” me as his social worker. He was focused on living, not dying. I came away humbled, but had learned an important lesson.

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Time heals nothing...
A mother who lost her son to AIDS

Shall I cry out in anger...?
Morris Adler

Stop All the Clocks
W.H. Auden

Death and the Young Man
David Bergman

The Widow
Nicky Bregman

The Secret
Charles Bukowski

Meditations
John Donne

On Mourning the Loss of a Loved One
Sigmund Freud

Bereft
Robert Frost

Nothing Gold Can Stay
Robert Frost

Do not stand at my grave and weep
Mary Elizabeth Frye