Scattering the ashes of a loved one can be a powerful moment of reflection, healing, and closure. Many choose to read poems during this time to offer comfort, express emotions, and create a sense of peace. For those seeking a non-religious approach, poems that speak of love, nature, and remembrance can perfectly encapsulate the moment. Below are poems that offer gentle words and thoughtful perspectives on life, loss, and the continuation of memory, ideal for reciting during a scattering ceremony.
Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep – Mary Elizabeth Frye
“Do not stand at my grave and weep, I am not there; I do not sleep. I am a thousand winds that blow, I am the diamond glints on snow. I am the sun on ripened grain, I am the gentle autumn rain. When you awaken in the morning’s hush I am the swift uplifting rush Of quiet birds in circled flight. I am the soft stars that shine at night. Do not stand at my grave and cry; I am not there; I did not die.”
Gone From My Sight – Henry Van Dyke
“I am standing upon the seashore. A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty and strength, and I stand and watch until, at length, she hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other. Then someone at my side says: ‘There, she is gone!’ Gone where? Gone from my sight—that is all. She is just as large in mast, hull, and spar as she was when she left my side. The diminished size and total loss of sight is in me, not in her, And just at the moment when someone at my side says: ‘There, she is gone,’ There are others watching her coming, and other voices take up a glad shout: ‘Here she comes!’ And that is dying.”
To Those Whom I Love and Those Who Love Me – Anonymous
“When I am gone, release me, let me go. I have so many things to see and do. You mustn’t tie yourself to me with tears; Be happy that we had so many years. I gave you my love, you can only guess How much you gave me in happiness. I thank you for the love you each have shown, But now it’s time I traveled on alone. So grieve for me a while, if grieve you must, Then let your grief be comforted by trust. It’s only for a while that we must part, So bless the memories within your heart. I won’t be far away, for life goes on, So if you need me, call and I will come. Though you can’t see or touch me, I’ll be near, And if you listen with your heart, you’ll hear All of my love around you soft and clear. And then, when you must come this way alone, I’ll greet you with a smile and say, ‘Welcome home.'”
When I Am Dead, My Dearest – Christina Rossetti
“When I am dead, my dearest,
Sing no sad songs for me;
Plant thou no roses at my head,
Nor shady cypress tree:
Be the green grass above me
With showers and dewdrops wet;
And if thou wilt, remember,
And if thou wilt, forget.
I shall not see the shadows,
I shall not feel the rain;
I shall not hear the nightingale
Sing on, as if in pain:
And dreaming through the twilight
That doth not rise nor set,
Haply I may remember,
And haply may forget.”
Remember – 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 plann’d: Only remember me; you understand It will be late to counsel then or pray. Yet if you should forget me for a while And afterwards 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 Than that you should remember and be sad.”
A Life Well Lived – Anonymous
“A life well lived is a precious gift Of hope and strength and grace, From someone who has made our world A brighter, better place. It’s filled with moments, sweet and sad, With smiles and sometimes tears, With friendships formed and good times shared, And laughter through the years. A life well lived is a legacy Of joy and pride and pleasure, A living, lasting memory Our grateful hearts will treasure.”
The Day is Done – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
*”The day is done, and the darkness
Falls from the wings of Night,
As a feather is wafted downward
From an eagle in his flight.
I see the lights of the village
Gleam through the rain and the mist,
And a feeling of sadness comes o’er me
That my soul cannot resist:
A feeling of sadness and longing,
That is not akin to pain,
And resembles sorrow only
As the mist resembles the rain.
Come, read to me some poem,
Some simple and heartfelt lay,
That shall soothe this restless feeling,
And banish the thoughts of day.
Not from the grand old masters,
Not from the bards sublime,
Whose distant footsteps echo
Through the corridors of Time.
For, like strains of martial music,
Their mighty thoughts suggest
Life’s endless toil and endeavor;
And to-night I long for rest.
Read from some humbler poet,
Whose songs gushed from his heart,
As showers from the clouds of summer,
Or tears from the eyelids start;
Who, through long days of labor,
And nights devoid of ease,
Still heard in his soul the music
Of wonderful melodies.
Such songs have power to quiet
The restless pulse of care,
And come like the benediction
That follows after prayer.
Then read from the treasured volume
The poem of thy choice,
And lend to the rhyme of the poet
The beauty of thy voice.
And the night shall be filled with music,
And the cares, that infest the day,
Shall fold their tents, like the Arabs,
And as silently steal away.”*
Here’s the next set of poems:
Afterglow – Helen Lowrie Marshall
*”I’d like the memory of me
To be a happy one.
I’d like to leave an afterglow
Of smiles when life is done.
I’d like to leave an echo
Whispering softly down the ways,
Of happy times and laughing times
And bright and sunny days.
I’d like the tears of those who grieve
To dry before the sun;
Of happy memories that I leave
When life is done.”*
A Song of Living – Amelia Burr
*”Because I have loved life, I shall have no sorrow to die.
I have sent up my gladness on wings, to be lost in the blue of the sky.
I have run and leaped with the rain, I have taken the wind to my breast.
My cheeks like a drowsy child to the face of the earth I have pressed.
Because I have loved life, I shall have no sorrow to die.
I have kissed young love on the lips, I have heard his song to the end.
I have struck my hand like a seal in the loyal hand of a friend.
I have known the peace of heaven, the comfort of work done well.
Because I have loved life, I shall have no sorrow to die.
I have lived long enough, I have done my best.
I have loved the earth with a grateful heart; now there’s peace in my soul.”*
Crossing the Bar – Alfred, Lord Tennyson
*”Sunset and evening star,
And one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put out to sea,
But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
Too full for sound and foam,
When that which drew from out the boundless deep
Turns again home.
Twilight and evening bell,
And after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness of farewell,
When I embark;
For though from out our bourne of Time and Place
The flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
When I have crossed the bar.”*
The Ship – Anonymous
*”I am standing upon the seashore.
A ship, at my side, spreads her white sails to the moving breeze and starts for the blue ocean.
She is an object of beauty and strength.
I stand and watch her until, at length, she hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other.
Then, someone at my side says: ‘There, she is gone!’
Gone where? Gone from my sight—that is all.
She is just as large in mast, hull, and spar as she was when she left my side.
The diminished size is in me, not in her.
And just at the moment when someone at my side says, ‘There, she is gone,’
There are other eyes watching her coming, and other voices ready to take up the glad shout:
‘Here she comes!'”*
Gone But Not Forgotten – Anonymous
*”Gone, yet not forgotten,
Although we are apart,
Your spirit lives within me,
Forever in my heart.
You were a blessing in my life,
Your love was pure and true.
Now I keep the memories close
Of time I spent with you.
Gone, yet not forgotten,
Time cannot erase
The echoes left inside my heart
From your loving embrace.”*
Let Me Go – Anonymous
*”When I come to the end of the road
And the sun has set for me,
I want no rites in a gloom-filled room,
Why cry for a soul set free?
Miss me a little, but not too long,
And not with your head bowed low;
Remember the love that once we shared,
Miss me—but let me go.
For this is a journey we all must take,
And each must go alone;
It’s all part of the Master’s plan,
A step on the road to home.
When you are lonely and sick of heart,
Go to the friends we know,
And bury your sorrows in doing good deeds.
Miss me—but let me go.”*
The Wind Will Carry You Home – Anonymous
*”As the wind carries your ashes
Into the embrace of the earth,
The spirit moves with the breeze
On a journey of rebirth.
Where the wildflowers bloom
And the rivers run clear,
Your memory dances on the wind
And forever lingers near.
The sun will warm the places
Where your feet once stood,
And the stars will shine upon
The path you understood.
Though your time has passed,
In the wind you remain,
For the breeze that once carried you
Will bring you home again.”*
Into the Wind – Anonymous
*”Scatter me into the wind,
Let the breeze carry me where it will.
I will go where the wildflowers grow,
And the mountains stand still.
Let me be part of the open air,
Of the sun’s gentle light.
I will rest in the whispering winds
That blow through the day and night.
Do not hold me in one place
Where the earth holds fast to form.
Let me be free to roam the world
And find peace where winds are warm.”*
Footprints in the Sand – Anonymous
*”Some people come into our lives
And leave footprints on our hearts,
And we are never, ever the same.
Some people come into our lives
And quickly go…
Some stay for a while,
Leave footprints on our hearts,
And we are never, ever the same.”*
17. The Unknown Shore – Elizabeth Clark Hardy
*”Somewhere beyond the hills of time
There is a meadow bright;
There, new souls dwell who once were we,
Clothed now in morning light.
And far across that shining field,
A river winds its way,
To shores unseen by mortal eyes,
To skies that never gray.
Beyond the river’s rushing course,
Beyond the hills so fair,
The unknown shore awaits us all
When we are called home there.”*
In Memory – Anonymous
*”We remember you in the stillness,
In the hush of the trees,
In the whispering winds
That carry our pleas.
Though you are gone,
You are never far,
For we see your reflection
In every star.
You live in our hearts,
A flame burning bright,
Guiding us onward
Through darkness and light.
We honor your journey,
We cherish your name,
Your memory lives on
In love’s eternal flame.”*
Only Remembered – Horatius Bonar
*”Fading away like the stars of the morning,
Losing their light in the glorious sun—
Thus would we pass from the earth and its toiling,
Only remembered by what we have done.
Only remembered, only remembered,
Only remembered by what we have done;
Thus would we pass from the earth and its toiling,
Only remembered by what we have done.
Shall we be missed though by others succeeded,
Reaping the fields we in springtime have sown?
Yes, but the sowers must pass from their labours,
Ever remembered by what they have done.
Only the truth that in life we have spoken,
Only the seed that on earth we have sown;
These shall pass onward when we are forgotten,
Fruits of the harvest and what we have done.”*
The Road Not Taken – Robert Frost
*”Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.”*
A Silent Tear – Gaynor Llewellyn
*”Just close your eyes and you will see
All the memories that you have of me.
Just sit and relax and you will find
I’m really still there inside your mind.
Don’t cry for me now I’m gone,
For I am in the land of song.
There is no pain, there is no fear,
So dry away that silent tear.
Don’t think of me in the dark and cold,
For here I am, no longer old.
I’m in that place that’s filled with love,
Known to you all, as ‘up above’.”*
If I Should Go – Joyce Grenfell
*”If I should go before the rest of you,
Break not a flower nor inscribe a stone,
Nor when I’m gone speak in a Sunday voice,
But be the usual selves that I have known.
Weep if you must,
Parting is hell,
But life goes on,
So sing as well.”*
Love Lives On – Anonymous
*”Those we love remain with us,
For love itself lives on,
And cherished memories never fade
Because a loved one’s gone.
Those we love can never be
More than a thought apart,
For as long as there is memory,
They’ll live on in the heart.”*
My Journey’s Just Begun – Ellen Brenneman
*”Don’t think of me as gone away,
My journey’s just begun,
Life holds so many facets,
This earth is only one.
Just think of me as resting
From the sorrows and the tears,
In a place of warmth and comfort
Where there are no days and years.
Think how I must be wishing
That we could know today
How nothing but our sadness
Can really pass away.
And think of me as living
In the hearts of those I touched…
For nothing loved is ever lost
And I know I was loved so much.”*
Let Me Go – Anonymous
*”When I come to the end of the road
And the sun has set for me,
I want no rites in a gloom-filled room,
Why cry for a soul set free?
Miss me a little, but not for long,
And not with your head bowed low;
Remember the love that once we shared,
Miss me, but let me go.
For this is a journey we all must take,
And each must go alone.
It’s all part of the master plan,
A step on the road to home.
When you are lonely and sick at heart,
Go to the friends we know,
Laugh at all the things we used to do,
Miss me, but let me go.”*
