Poems About Losing a Loved One: The Sting of Death.
Losing a loved one is extremely difficult. It can be hard to find the words to convey how you feel about the loss of your dear friend, sibling, or family member. The good thing is that there are many poems on the topic of losing a loved one. Poems help us express how we’re feeling and help us heal. One way to heal from a loss is by speaking out loud or writing about the feelings that we may not be able to speak about inside our own heads.
The power of poetry can help us express our sorrow in a way that will connect with others who have also experienced this type of grief. Writing Poems about losing a loved one can be therapeutic, it can help you deal with the loss and suffering that happens during this period of grief.
Below, you will find four poems about losing a loved one. They speak to various moments in my life when death was most impactful. I lost my first niece when I was very young, my mother, and one of my students in my adult years, and these three death experiences have affected me in different ways. But writing about them has helped me greatly, despite the lingering pain and grief that I still experience when I reflect on their memories.
Affiliate Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links, which means I will receive a commission if you make a purchase using these links.
Death Stole Our Joy
Despite the passage of time, I still reflect on my niece. I often wonder what she would be like today and the positive impact she had on our family despite her brief stay on earth. Every time I hear Lionel Richie’s song, Say You, Say Me, I can remember the day she passed because that song was playing on the radio in the background.
Fiota Onella
Born to a rugged father
And a beautiful princess.
She was dark and lovely,
With gorgeous hair
And a smile that warmed our hearts.
Her grandmother named her
Fiota Onella.
It was the perfect name
For a special baby girl.
She was the first for our family
In many ways.
She was my brother’s
First child,
She was his
First daughter,
She was my parents’
First grandchild,
First granddaughter.
She was our
First niece.
When she was present,
Everyone gathered around
No chores were done.
We were all giddy with excitement
At the prospects of being called
Uncle and Aunty.
There was always jostling
To get close to her,
To hold her,
To play with her,
And to sing for her.
She was the light of our world.
Then one day, something happened,
And our angelic light began
To slowly fade…
Daily.
None of the specialists seems to know
What was wrong,
And nothing worked.
We watched helplessly
As our light slowly dim.
My brother and I seldom left
Her side.
I was always
Watching
Hoping,
Singing and
Praying.
And we were there
On that day
To see her eyes
Slowly wither,
To watch her cherry lips
Fade to grey
And to see
Her skin grew pale.
We called her name,
We touched her,
And
Gently rocked her
But her heartwarming smile
Never reappeared again.
I kept wondering why
She was staring at us
With that permanently
Withered gaze,
But not responding.
I was too young
To understand back then.
But when the old man
Gently closed her eyelids,
And
The flood of grief
And wailing escalated
In the room,
I knew then that
Our light,
Our pride,
Our joy
Was extinguished.
Poems About Losing a Loved One: The Victory of the Grave
Nothing, and I mean nothing, prepares you for losing your mother; especially when she meant so much to you in so many ways. My mother was terminally ill for several years and we all knew that the day would come when she will leave us and when it happened on November 29th 2015, it broke emotionally. After all these years have passed, I still cry when I recall certain fond memories of my mother. They say the pain never goes away. You just learn to cope better with passaging time, and I can testify to that.
Memories of Mommy
In the tranquillity of my room
On this bright and sunny day
They suddenly erupted.
A gush of memories of my mother.
My peaceful mindset quickly disappears
And I am strangled by powerful emotions.
My eyes are blinded as they drown
In a tsunami of tears.
My room is now crowded with
A plethora of her delicious memories.
I am swimming to survive these
Memories of mommy.
I have crossed many rivers,
And negotiated a multitude of life’s perils,
But the memories of my mother
Feel like am swimming upstream.
She taught me a lot,
She showed me
How to love,
She taught me
How to be tough,
But I can’t remember a lesson
On how to deal
With her memories.
Am struggling to survive these
Memories of mommy.
I stand in the middle of my room
Now flooded with these memories:
The joyful sounds of family time
Ringing in my ears.
I can smell the deliciousness of her kitchen,
I can hear her melodious singing voice
Lightening up the atmosphere,
I can feel her warm embrace.
They all use to make me smile.
But today.
I am a drowning man
Trying to clutch
At my sanity,
As I am carried away
By these unbearable memories,
Memories of my mommy.
It Is Well With My Soul…
I taught Kenya in high school from grade 7 to 9 and I watched her blossom in her senior years and did exceedingly well. Her class graduation in 2017 was the last one I attended in the Bishop Michael Eldon School before I resigned. She was multi-talent but very humble and loving. So when I received the news of her passing, it was gut-wrenching. A life with so much promise cut short. Her last words on social media were…” Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say It is well, it is well with my soul.”
Losing a Daughter-for Kenya
i wasn’t prepared.
none of us was ready
for this news.
i’m not supposed to be writing
these words with flooded eyes
while overwhelming emotions
make breathing arduous.
we watched her grow,
we walked through
academic valleys together,
we laughed together,
we cried together,
got upset with each other,
we survived hurricanes and
rebuild shattered pieces together.
i know it’s not my place
to question the will of the creator
but, question i will!
why?
why trinity?
as my tears flow
uncontrollably,
few will understand.
i’m not just crying for me.
i’m crying for two parents who lost an only child,
i’m crying for that little girl who lost a role model,
i’m crying for a friend who has lost a confidant
and trusted companion,
i’m crying for that young man
who will never get to feel her genuine love,
i’m crying for Bahama land
because they’ve lost a daughter
who could have transformed things
for the betterment of her country.
i’m not just crying
because of the cherished memories
i hold close to my heart.
i’m not just shedding tears.
i’m crying because
the warrior family
has lost a daughter
and it hurts.
Ye Who are Weary Come Home: Poems About Losing a Loved One
Our Mother
She placed a never-ending
Song of praise in
Our hearts.
Cultivated in us a prayerful mind,
And nurtured us
With love,
So pure
That not even death can contain it.
The unforgettable
And irreplaceable,
Nellis Loretta Bentinck.
Always,
Our mother.
Have you lost a loved one? What coping mechanism did you use during your difficult periods? Share in the comments section below, it may help someone today.
