Grief is one of the hardest things to face in life, and unfortunately it is something which most of us will experience in our time. Writing or reading grief poems and funeral poems is something which many find beneficial in helping them to complete their journey through the bereavement process.

Placing feelings into meaningful poetry may be dismissed by many who have not attempted such a feat as being "not for them". However, almost every person is able to get something out of sitting down for 15 minutes and reflecting upon their lives of their loved ones and putting pen to paper. Writing about their lives as a celebration, noting key memories and the fun times they shared is an emotive and most importantly, a positive experience .

A good place to start when composing your poetry, is to make a several lists of people, places and memories that were particularly special to you and your loved one. You could make lists on the following things. For example, special places you liked to visit, special memories, friends and family special occasions, holidays, christmas etc

This list is by no means extensive. Writing about a lost loved one is never easy, as it can stir up many emotions and force you to deal with your loss and accept it. However this is part of the grieving process and should not be seen as a negative thing. I hope these tips can help anybody who is dealing, or has dealt with bereavement, to begin to heal. Funeral poems will hopefully inspire many people suffering from a loss to write their own poetry, about their own personal feelings. Some like to do this before the memorial service so that they can use it in their funeral reading, whereas others may prefer to find a previously written funeral poem and use that instead.

Once you have your poem written, it is often a good idea to place the poem in a "memory box" or somewhere similar, and open it up on special occasions such as the anniversary of their death.