Funeral Poems for Mom

Short Funeral Poems for Mom

Short poems of four to eight lines fit well on the back of a memorial card, at the end of a funeral program, or as a quiet reading before the eulogy.

First Voice

Yours was the first voice I ever knew,
the first smile, the first embrace;
and every kindness I learned to do,
I learned by watching your face.

Hand in Hand

You held my hand to cross the street
and held it when I cried;
now I will hold you in my heart
until we're side by side.

A Mother's Love

A mother's love does not end
when her last day is through;
it lives in every gentle word
her children say and do.

Rest Now, Mom

Rest now, Mom. Your work is done:
the lunches packed, the races run,
the scraped knees kissed, the prayers said.
Now rest, and let us care instead.

Funeral Poems for Mom From a Daughter

Your Hands

I looked down at my hands today
and saw your hands instead:
the same thin ring, the same small scar,
the way they smoothed a bed.

I hear your laugh come out of me,
your sayings in my voice;
I didn't know how much of you
I carried. Now, by choice,

I'll carry you in all I do,
the way I listen, how I give,
the way I hold the ones I love;
through me, Mom, you'll always live.

Third Ring

I picked up the phone to call you
before I remembered why;
I had a little news to share
and a question about pie.

You always answered on the third ring,
"Hi, honey," soft and warm;
you talked me through the worst of things
and every passing storm.

So I'll keep talking to you, Mom,
in kitchens and in prayer,
and somewhere, on the third ring,
I know you'll still be there.

A Funeral Poem for Mom From a Son

Still Your Boy

I was the boy who tracked in mud,
who broke the lamp, who slammed the door;
you'd sigh and say, "Go wash your hands,"
and love me even more.

I grew up taller than you'd reach;
you'd stretch up on your toes
to kiss my cheek, call me your baby,
and straighten out my clothes.

Whatever kind of man I've grown,
the best of him came straight from you;
I'll do right by the ones I love,
the way you always taught me to.

A Poem From All of Her Children

What She Made

She made a home from what she had:
a pot of soup, a patched-up coat,
a birthday cake from a box of mix,
a lunchbox with a note she wrote.

She made us brave, she made us kind,
she taught us how to share and pray,
and made us promise we'd stay close.
We will, Mom. Starting today.

Poems for Mom in Heaven

For a mother whose faith carried her, or for a family that takes comfort in picturing her at peace, these poems speak of heaven and the welcome home.

Dear Mom in Heaven

Dear Mom, I hope that heaven
has a garden in full bloom,
a kitchen with the window open,
and music in every room.

I hope you've found your mother there
and the friends you missed so long,
and that you're dancing in the kitchen
to your favorite old song.

And when you look down here at us,
I hope you'll see it's true:
we're trying hard to make you proud,
and, Mom, we all miss you.

Her Prayers

She knelt to pray for us each night,
by name, from oldest down;
she trusted God with all her fears
and wore her faith like a crown.

Now she has seen the face of God,
the One she always knew;
and all the prayers she prayed for us
are still at work, and true.

Called Home

The Lord has called our mother home,
her gentle work complete;
she's resting now in perfect peace
at her Savior's feet.

Bible Verses for a Mother

Scripture can stand on its own or follow a poem in the program. These verses are from the King James Version.

Proverbs 31:28

Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.

Proverbs 31:10

Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.

Proverbs 31:30

Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.

Isaiah 66:13

As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem.

For more scripture and prayers, see our guide to prayers for a funeral program.

A Poem About the Life She Made

The Recipe Box

Her recipe box sits on the shelf,
its cards all stained and worn,
in handwriting I'd know anywhere
from the day that I was born.

"A pinch of this," "bake till it's done,"
she never measured much;
the secret wasn't in the cards
but in her loving touch.

So we will cook her Sunday meals
and gather at her table;
we'll set a place and pass the rolls
as long as we are able.

An Uplifting Poem for a Celebration of Life

Some moms would want the family laughing and together, not sad for long. This poem is written in her voice, as a note to her children.

A Note From Mom

Don't cry too long, my darlings;
I've had a lovely life.
I've been a daughter, friend, and mom,
a sister and a wife.

So hug each other tightly,
and call each other more,
and keep the cookie jar filled up
the way it was before.

I'm in the songs you hum to babies,
the patience that you show,
in every "I love you" you say;
I'm closer than you know.

For more poems in this spirit, see our collection of celebration of life poems.

Classic Funeral Poems for a Mother

These well-loved poems about a mother are in the public domain, so they can be printed and read freely.

My Mother, by Ann Taylor (excerpt)

Who sat and watched my infant head
When sleeping on my cradle bed,
And tears of sweet affection shed?
My Mother.

When pain and sickness made me cry,
Who gazed upon my heavy eye,
And wept for fear that I should die?
My Mother.

Who taught my infant lips to pray
And love God's holy book and day,
And walk in wisdom's pleasant way?
My Mother.

And can I ever cease to be
Affectionate and kind to thee,
Who wast so very kind to me,
My Mother?

Mother o' Mine, by Rudyard Kipling (1891)

If I were hanged on the highest hill,
Mother o' mine, O mother o' mine!
I know whose love would follow me still,
Mother o' mine, O mother o' mine!

If I were drowned in the deepest sea,
Mother o' mine, O mother o' mine!
I know whose tears would come down to me,
Mother o' mine, O mother o' mine!

If I were damned of body and soul,
I know whose prayers would make me whole,
Mother o' mine, O mother o' mine!

Kipling's dramatic images make one point: nothing could stop a mother's love. Many families read it for a mother who stood by her children no matter what.

Remember, by Christina Rossetti (1862)

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 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.

Choosing and Reading a Poem at Her Funeral

• Match the length to the place. Four to eight lines fit a memorial card; up to sixteen lines fit a program page; a reading at the service can run one to two minutes.
• Choose her voice, not just a beautiful one. A mom who kept everyone laughing may be better honored by "A Note From Mom" than by a formal classic.
• Pair it with the right reader. A daughter, son, or grandchild often reads the poem while another family member gives the eulogy. If you are writing the eulogy too, our funeral speech writer can help.
• Practice it aloud three times. Print it in large type, mark where to pause, and have a backup reader ready. Stopping to breathe, or to cry, is all right.
• Introduce it in a sentence. "Mom kept this recipe box for fifty years" tells everyone why the poem matters before the first line.

For help writing her obituary, see these obituary examples for a mother.

Adding the Poem to Her Program or Memorial Card

Every funeral program template on FuneralFolio has a section for a poem or prayer, and memorial cards have room for a short verse on the back. Copy any poem above, paste it into the template, add her photo and dates, and download a print-ready file. Funeral programs can also be ordered as printed copies for the service.