How Memorial Poems Transform Emotions and Memories into Lasting Praise

How Memorial Poems Transform Emotions and Memories into Lasting Praise

With the sudden loss of a loved one, you may be at a loss for words, but when it comes to the memorial of your loved one, you will want something to be said about him or her. It is during a time like this when becoming quiet and thinking about who the person was and what they meant to you is important.

Sometimes, a flood of words enters your mind and at other times, your heart is too torn apart to let the words be uttered. Later, the pain itself becomes the ink in your pen and the words begin to take form on paper. It is only once all the pain and sorrow have been verbalised that the tears begin to dry.

Once this moment arrives, your memorial poem takes shape. It sings of glory and of love. It tells about the life of your loved one in a manner that grabs at the strings of your heart. This is what memorial poems are about. There is simply not enough space on paper to describe every detail of your loved one and you may not yet be prepared to share your deepest thoughts so openly. However, memorial poems afford you the luxury of keeping some parts private, while sharing the essence of who your loved one was with the world.

By doing so, you sing praise to the life they lived, how they touched you and others, and how they will be missed. You get the opportunity to highlight a portion of them or give an overview of their immense beauty from inside out. You get to grieve and find some comfort. Memorial poems give you the chance to erect a memorial plaque through words.

Although your loved one will not be there to hear or read the words, you give them a lasting legacy by telling others of them. You do not have to write a book. No, instead words phrased in poetry are often more powerful than prose. Somewhere between the rhyme and verse, there develops a rhythm that transforms mere words into a song of praise, a declaration of loss, or a moment of clarity.

Death is devastating, and whether expected or unexpected, it leaves a gaping hole in the lives of those left behind. So many questions must be answered and it can take a lifetime to understand the passing away of a loved one. But, memorial poems can be vehicles of hope, honour, and love. Such poems are similar to photographs, capturing a moment or a full landscape of feelings, thoughts, and memories in condensed form. Memorial poems help to give expression to the emotions, while also helping in the process of healing for the writer and the ones who read or hear the words from the poet’s heart.

The AVBOB Poetry Project is about the sharing of memorial poems. If you have written such a poem or are in the midst of grieving and want to share your poems with others, you are invited to join the project and give a lasting legacy to your loved one. At the same time, you give something to those who are grieving and need inspiration for the memorial of their own loved ones.

Back