Funeral and Memorial Poems-Children

Here are a few poems geared toward the loss of a child. If you are here because you or someone you know has lost a child, please accept my deepest condolences.

The mention of my child’s name
May bring tears to my eyes,
But it never fails to bring
Music to my ears.
Let me hear the beautiful
music of his/her name.
It soothes my broken heart
and sings to my soul.
Good night, sweet prince:
and flights of angels sing
thee to rest.
William Shakespeare

In one of the stars, I shall be living.
In one of them, I shall be laughing.
And so it will be as if all the stars were laughing
When you look at the sky at night.
– The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupery

There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are messengers of overwhelming grief… and unspeakable love.
Washington Irving

We Remember Them
In the rising of the sun and in its going down
We remember them
In the blowing of the wind and in the chill of winter
We remember them
In the opening of the buds and in the warmth of summer
We remember them
In the rustling of leaves and the beauty of autumn
We remember them
In the beginning of the year and when it ends
We remember them
When we are weary and in need of strength
We remember them
When we are lost and sick at heart
We remember them
When we have joys we yearn to share
We remember them
So long as we live, they too shall live, for they are now a part of us as
We remember them.
—Rabbi Sylvan Kamens and Rabbi Jack Riemer, A Litany of Remembrance

Tiny angel rest your wings. Sit with me for a while. How I long to hold your hand and see your tender smile. Tiny angel, look at me. I want this image clear…That I’ll forget your precious face that is my biggest fear. Tiny angel, can you tell me why you have gone away? You weren’t here for very long…why is it you couldn’t stay? Tiny angel shook her head “These things I do not know…
But I do know that you love me and that I love you so.”
Anonymous

A Child Loaned
I’ll lend you for a little time
A child of Mine,” He said,
“For you to love the while she lives,
And mourn for when she’s dead.
It may be six or seven years
Or twenty-two or three,
But will you, till I call her back,
Take care of her for Me?
She’ll bring her charms to gladden you,
And should her stay be brief,
You’ll have her lovely memories
As solace for your grief.
I cannot promise she will stay,
Since all from earth return,
But there are lessons taught down there
I want this child to learn.
I’ve looked this wide world over
In My search for teachers true,
And from the throngs that crowd life’s lanes,
I have selected you;
Now will you give her all your love,
Not think the labor vain,
Nor hate Me when I come to call
And take her back again?”
I fancied that I heard them say,
“Dear Lord, Thy will be done,
For all the joy Thy child shall bring,
The risk of grief we’ll run.
We’ll shelter her with tenderness,
We’ll love her while we may,
And for the happiness we’ve known,
Forever grateful stay.
But should the angels call for her
Much sooner than we planned,
We’ll brave the bitter grief that comes
And try to understand.
Edgar A. Guest

Remember Me
by Christina Rossetti

Remember me when I am gone away,
Gone far away into the silent land;
When you can no more hold me by the hand,
Nor I half turn to go, yet turning stay.
Remember me when no more day by day
You tell me of our future that you planned:
Only remember me; you understand
It will be late to counsel then or pray.
Yet if you should forget me for a while
And afterward, remember, do not grieve:
For if the darkness and corruption leave
A vestige of the thoughts that once I had,
Better by far you should forget and smile
Then that you should remember and be sad.

Friends
by Abbie Farwell Brown

How good to lie a little while
And look up through the tree!
The Sky is like a kind big smile
Bent sweetly over me.
The Sunshine flickers through the lace
Of leaves above my head,
And kisses me upon the face
Like Mother, before bed.
The Wind comes stealing o’er the grass
To whisper pretty things;
And though I cannot see him pass,
I feel his careful wings.
So many gentle Friends are near
Whom one can scarcely see,
A child should never feel a fear,
Wherever he may be.

A butterfly lights beside us

A butterfly lights beside us like a sunbeam, and for a
brief moment its glory and beauty belong to our world
but then it flies again. And though we wish it could
have stayed, we feel so lucky to have seen it.
Author Unknown

Wherever they go, and whatever happens to them on the way, in that enchanted place on the top of the forest, a little boy and his bear will always be playing.
A.A. Milne, closing lines of Winnie-The-Pooh

Family Chain

We little knew that morning,
God was going to call your name.
In life we loved you dearly,
In death we do the same.
It broke our hearts to lose you,
You did not go alone,
For part of us went with you,
the day God called you home.
You left us beautiful memories,
Your love is still our guide
And though we cannot see you,
You are always by our side.
Our family chain is broken
And nothing seems the same
But as God calls us one by one
The chain will link again.
Ron Tranmer

These are my footprints

These are my footprints, so perfect and so small.
These tiny footprints, never touched the ground at all.
Not one tiny footprint, for now I have my wings.
These tiny footprints were meant for other things.
You will hear my tiny footprints, in the patter of the rain.
Gentle drops like angels tears, of joy and not from pain.
You will see my tiny footprints, in each butterflies’ lazy dance.
I’ll let you know I’m with you, if you give me just a chance.
You will see my tiny footprints, in the rustle of the leaves.
I will whisper names into the wind, and call each one that grieves.
Most of all, these tiny footprints, are found in mummy’s heart,
’cause even though I’m gone now, we’ll never truly part.”
Author Unknown

Tiny Angel

Tiny Angel rest your wings
Sit with me for a while.
How I long to hold your hand,
And see your tender smile.
Tiny Angel, look at me,
I want this image clear…
That I will forget your precious face
Is my biggest fear.
Tiny Angel can you tell me,
Why you have gone away?
You weren’t here for very long…
Why is it, you couldn’t stay?
Tiny Angel shook his head,
“These things I do not know…
But I do know that you love me,
And that I love you so.”

Goodnight
Goodnight my dear loved ones
It was not meant to be
I am now to live my life
In a land you can’t see

This land is very beautiful
All sunshine and no rain
Where everybody’s healthy
And no one can feel pain

You see, Heaven like Earth needs children
To laugh and sing and play
To be loved by all around them
Bringing joy to every day

So now you know I’m happy
Growing up like you want me to
Please mention my name with a smile
And I’ll send all my love to you

Remember I’ll always be near you
For your child, I’ll always remain
So live your life knowing I care
And I’ll be waiting when we meet again.
Author Unknown

There Is A Special Angel

There is a special Angel in Heaven
that is part of me.
It is not where I wanted him
but where God wanted him to be.
He was here but just a moment
like a nighttime shooting star.
And though he is in Heaven
he isn’t very far.
He touched the heart of many
like only an Angel can do.
So I send this special message
to the Heaven up above.
Please take care of my Angel
and send him all my love.

Author Unknown

You Were Taken On Angel’s Wings

You were taken on angel’s wings
As you sweetly and quietly slept
And returned to heaven before we knew
That you had even left

Our hearts are heavy and sorrowed
That our time with you was so brief
For you were our gift of heaven’s light
That is now replaced with grief

But not so much that we won’t be grateful

For every second that you were here
You filled our hearts with so much joy
Treasured memories we’ll hold forever dear

And though we weren’t blessed to see you grow up
We were blessed to see you smile
And to hold you lovingly in our arms
For just a little while

Even though you’re in Heaven now
We trust you’re not too far away
To be close to us when we long for you near
For a part of our family, you’ll always stay.

We’ll look forward to the day when you’re with us again
When the happiness that has left us will never again part
For when you left on angel’s wings
You took with you the deepest love in our hearts
Author Unknown