Memorial Service Poems

On Wings of Gulls

On wings of gulls I’d wander so

To mountain tops and valleys low.

I’d fly quite free the heavens high

And meet the eagles in the sky.

I’d span the ocean far below

And taste the salt in winds that blow.

I’d hear the surf in pounding roar

Crash with thunder on the shore.

I’d follow all the ships that sail

And greet the morning, soft and pale.

I’d touch the sunset’s golden ray

And watch with fun the porpoise play.

I’d see each spruce in winter’s white

And reach the stars on wings of light,

And in the spring when buds appear,

I’d know God’s hand was very near.

The Whispering Wind

The wind I heard one evening,

As it blew across the sea,

It gently brushed against my hand

And whispered, “Follow me.”

Then lifted on the wings of air,

I felt my body rise

Until I was engulfed in peace

Somewhere in cloudless skies.

I seemed to float in arms of mist,

In that great golden space,

But for one glorious moment knew,

I’d seen God’s shining face.

My Epitaph

What will be said of me

When I have gone –

When my ears have been sealed

To the morning song

Of the lark, and the stars

Are dimmed from sight?

What will I have for them to say,

What are the words for them to write?

Or should there be an epitaph –

Does it really matter a bit?

My eyes will still see,

As my children all sit

‘Round about in the midst

Of a sunset’s glow,

And my ears shall still listen

For the winds as they blow

Down through the spruces.

And my children’s sweet laughter

I leave as part of me.

This is my epitaph, after

I’ve gone – perhaps a painting I’ve done,

Or a poem to remember,

Describing my feelings of Maine

In September.

That is enough to be said of me,

When time has come

To write my name upon a stone,

And life is done.