Inspirational Death and Memorial Poems

When those close to us lose a loved one we are often at a loss for words to comfort them. I often have a problem finding the right sympathy card and I struggle with condolence messages. Over time I have stopped giving condolence cards to my friends, instead I have given them framed sympathy poem posters which they can place on their desktops or bedside tables. Or I have given them one of my metal art handmade cards. Most of my friends have said how much the sympathy gifts meant to them and how the words in the memorial poems carried them through. I have created a sympathy gift collection consisting of these sympathy cards, posters and canvas prints.

This blog post is dedicated to all of those who are grieving and coping with the death of a loved one. It contains inspirational death poems to uplift the spirit. It is my hope that the bereaved will find some comfort in these words.

Inspirational Sympathy Gifts Irish Blessings Poster by Injete

Fine Art Print (8 x 8 inches): $16.99

Inspirational Condolence Messages

May God give you...
For every storm, a rainbow,
For every tear, a smile,
For every care, a promise,
And a blessing in each trial.
For every problem life sends,
A faithful friend to share,
For every sigh, a sweet song,
And an answer for each prayer.

~Irish Blessings~

 

Inspirational Memorial Death Poem Poster by Injete
Vintage Art by Jean Bourdichon

Do not stand at my grave and weep 
by 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 glint on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you wake in the morning hush,
I am the swift, uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circling flight.
I am the soft starlight at night.
Do not stand at my grave and weep.
I am not there, I do not sleep.
(Do not stand at my grave and cry.
I am not there, I did not die!)

Inspirational Sympathy Condolence Cards by Injete

Sympathy Greeting Cards (with envelope): $3.99

Until We Meet Again

by Injete Chesoni

Death is a brief separation
A temporary pain
Grieve not my dear
The sun will shine again
Death separates our bodies
But our hearts remain the same
May the memories of our love
soothe away your pain
and carry you over
Until we meet again. 

Inspirational Funeral Poem Poster by Injete
Vintage Art by Jean Bourdichon

Miss Me But Let Me Go
Attributed to Edgar A. Guest
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 we once shared,
Miss me–but let me go.
For this is a journey that we all must take
And each must go alone.
It's all a 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.

(Inspirational Sympathy Death Poem by Edgar Guest)

Buy Sympathy Gifts here

I Am Not Gone Poem Poster (by Injete)

I Am Not Gone
by Injete Chesoni
I am not gone
I remain here beside you
Just in a different form
Look for me in your heart
And there you will find me
in our love which forever lives on

In those moments when you feel alone
Look for me in your thoughts
And there you will find me
in sweet memories that burn strong

Every time a tear
Forms in your beautiful eyes
Look up to the heavens
And there you will see me
Smiling down from God’s glorious skies
 

Sympathy Gift Poem Canvas Print Irish Blessings (by Injete)
Vintage Flower Art and Butterfly Illustrations

Canvas Art Print (8 x 8 inches): $54.95

A Psalm Of Life

by Henry Longfellow
Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time;
Footprints, that perhaps another,
Sailing o'er life's solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again.

(Funeral Death Poem by Henry Longfellow) 

Praying Hands: Metal Art Handmade Cards by Injete

Forever Remembered

by Injete Chesoni
Even after life is gone
In our hearts your love lingers on
Even after you have left our sight
In our thoughts
your light shines bright
Even after you are gone
In our memories
you forever live on. 

(Death Memorial Poem by Injete Chesoni)

Short Love Poems

This is a collection of some of my short love poems. They are suitable for Valentines Day messages, wedding poems and anniversary messages.

(Pink Leaf Loveheart Art by Injete Chesoni)

Simple Words
Short Love Poems by Injete
Sometimes the simplest
words are the best
To convey emotions heartfelt
So on this special day
I will use simple words to say
I love you now and every day

Pleasant Surprise
Short Valentines Poems by Injete
You are a pleasant surprise
An unexpected gift of smiles
A pleasure box of untold delights
I pray that you will be mine
Today, tomorrow and for all time

Keeper of My Heart
Wedding Anniversary Poem by Injete
Today we celebrate the joining of our hearts
We were meant for each other right from the start
We were destined to be together and never to part
You are my friend, my lover and the keeper of my heart

Be My Valentine (Heart Valentine)
Valentines Verses by Injete
Will you join your heart with mine
And on this day be my Valentine

Be My Valentine (Forever Valentine)

Valentines Verses by Injete

Will you be my Valentine

Today, tomorrow and for all time

Love’s Commitment by Injete

Wedding Invitation Verses and Poems

I can say I love you in so many ways

But none is clearer than committing my days

To the one who is dearest and closest to my heart

On this day I promise you that we will never part

 My Celestial Love (Eternal Valentine)

Valentines Poems by Injete

Sweet lover, heart-warmer

Soul partner divine

You are my eternal Valentine

Sent from the heavens

Way up above

You light up my life

My celestial love

 Love’s Flower

Short Love Poem by Injete

It started with a budding friendship

Between two lonely souls

A cautious relationship

of two former foes

The blossoming of love’s flower

covered in delicate thorns.

We nurtured and tended it

and it soon grew

Into a blossom

of love

sweet and true.

My precious flower

I am so blessed

that I found you.

Valentines Love Verses

This is a collection of some of my favorite Valentines Love Verses most of them come from famous love poems. You can use them in Valentines greeting cards if you are stuck for words.

Red and Gold Loveheart Art 

by Injete Chesoni

Will you be my Valentine
Today, tomorrow and for all time
- Injete Chesoni

A hundred hearts would be too few

To carry all my love for you.

- Author Unknown

So long as I can breathe or I can see

so long lives your love which gives life to me.

- William Shakespeare Love Quotes

In melody divine,

My heart it beats to rapturous love,

I long to call you mine.

- Author Unknown

Doubt thou the stars are fire;

Doubt that the sun doth move;

Doubt truth to be a liar;

But never doubt I love.

- William Shakespeare Love Quotes

My heart to you is given:

Oh, do give yours to me;

We'll lock them up together,

And throw away the key.

-Frederick Saunders

Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind,

And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind.

- William Shakespeare Love Quotes

O, my luve's like a red red rose

That's newly sprung in June

O my luve's like a melodie

That's sweetly played in tune

- Robert Burns

I love thee - I love thee,

'Tis all that I can say

It is my vision in the night,

My dreaming in the day.

-Thomas Hood

She walks in beauty, like the night

Of cloudless climes and starry skies,

And all that's best of dark and bright,

Meet in the aspect and her eyes.

- Lord Byron

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

I love thee to the depth and breadth and height

My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight

- Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Oh, innocent victims of Cupid,

Remember this terse little verse;

To let a fool kiss you is stupid,

To let a kiss fool you is worse

- E.Y. Harburg

African Wisdom: A Collection of African Quotes

I love quotes I think it’s a passion I got from my father who often quoted Shakespeare and had a collection of books with quotes. In commemoration of Black History month I have decided to post a collection of some of my favorite African Quotes and Proverbs on a variety of topics. These quotes are full of wisdom and give us a glimpse into African Culture and History. When you follow in the path of your father, you learn to walk like him. ~Ashanti Proverb

     African Thinking Man: Handmade metal art card by Injete

African Quotes on Wisdom
1.    Wisdom is wealth. - Swahili
2.    Wisdom is like a baobab tree; no one individual can embrace it. - Akan Proverb
3.    The fool speaks, the wise man listens. ~Ethiopian Proverb
4.    Wisdom does not come overnight. – Somali
5.    The heart of the wise man lies quiet like limpid water. ~ Cameroon
6.    Wisdom is like fire. People take it from others. - Hema (DRC) Proverb
7.    Only a wise person can solve a difficult problem. ~Akan Proverb
8.    Knowledge without wisdom is like water in the sand. ~ Guinean Proverb
9.    In the moment of crisis, the wise build bridges and the foolish build dams. ~Nigerian
10.  If you are filled with pride, then you will have no room for wisdom.
11.  A wise person will always find a way. ~Tanzanian Proverb
12.  Nobody is born wise. ~African Proverb

Bwa African Mask Painting by Injete (African Quote Card)

African Quotes on Learning
1.    Learning expands great souls. ~Namibian Proverb
2.    To get lost is to learn the way.
3.    By crawling a child learns to stand.
4.    If you close your eyes to facts, you will learn through accidents. ~African Proverb
5.    He who learns, teaches. ~ Ethiopian Proverb
6.    Wealth, if you use it, comes to an end; learning, if you use it, increases. ~Swahili Proverb
7.    By trying often, the monkey learns to jump from the tree. ~Buganda Proverb
8.    You always learn a lot more when you lose than when you win. ~African Proverb
9.    You learn how to cut down trees by cutting them down. ~Bateke Proverb
10.    The wise create proverbs for fools to learn, not to repeat. ~African Proverb
11.    What you help a child to love can be more important than what you help him to learn. ~African Proverb
12.    By the time the fool has learned the game, the players have dispersed. ~Ashanti Proverb
13.    One who causes others misfortune also teaches them wisdom. ~African Proverb
14.    You do not teach the paths of the forest to an old gorilla. ~Congolese Proverb
15.    What you learn is what you die with. ~African Proverb

    Circle of Sisters, Celebration Table: Metal Art by Injete
 

African Quotes on Unity and Community
1.    Unity is strength, division is weakness. – Swahili
2.    Sticks in a bundle are unbreakable. - Bondei
3.    It takes a village to raise a child. – African proverb
4.    Cross the river in a crowd and the crocodile won't eat you. - African proverb
5.    Many hands make light work. - Haya (Tanzania)
6.    Where there are many, nothing goes wrong. – Swahili
7.    Two ants do not fail to pull one grasshopper. – Tanzania
8.    A single bracelet does not jingle. - Congo
9.    A single stick may smoke, but it will not burn.
10.    If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. - African proverb

    Soul Sisters: African Art Metal Painting by Injete


African Quotes on Family
1.    A family is like a forest, when you are outside it is dense, when you are inside you see that each tree has its place.
2.    A united family eats from the same plate. – Baganda
3.    A family tie is like a tree, it can bend but it cannot break.
4.    If I am in harmony with my family, that's success. – Ute
5.    Brothers love each other when they are equally rich.
6.    He who earns calamity, eats it with his family.
7.    Dine with a stranger but save your love for your family. – Ethiopian
8.    The old woman looks after the child to grow its teeth and the young one in turn looks after the old woman when she loses her teeth. - Akan (Ghana, Ivory Coast)
9.    When brothers fight to the death, a stranger inherits their father's estate. – Ibo
10.    Children are the reward of life.

Coffee Art by Injete (African Quote Card)

African Love Quotes and Marriage Quotes
1.    He who loves the vase loves also what is inside. - African Proverb
2.    It's much easier to fall in love than to stay in love. ~African Proverb
3.    Coffee and love taste best when hot. ~Ethiopian Proverb
4.    Where there is love there is no darkness. ~Burundian Proverb
5.    If you are ugly you must either learn to dance or make love. - Zimbabwean Proverb
6.    Pretend you are dead and you will see who really loves you. ~African Proverb
7.    To love the king is not bad, but a king who loves you is better. ~Wolof Proverb
8.    A happy man marries the girl he loves, but a happier man loves the girl he marries. - African Proverb
9.    If you marry a monkey for his wealth, the money goes and the monkey remains as is. - Egyptian Proverb
10.    Love never gets lost it's only kept. ~African Proverb
11.    Never marry a woman who has bigger feet than you. – Mozambique
12.    One thread for the needle, one love for the heart. - Sudanese Proverb
13.    Love has to be shown by deeds not words. – Swahili
14.    Love is a despot who spares no one. ~Namibian Proverb
15.    Marriage is like a groundnut; you have to crack it to see what is inside. – Ghana

     Green Snail: Metal Art Painting by Injete

African Quotes on Patience
1.    Patience is the key which solves all problems. - Sudanese
2.    Hurry hurry has no blessings. – Swahili
3.    Patience is the mother of a beautiful child. - Bantu
4.    To run is not necessarily to arrive. - Swahili
5.    Patience can cook a stone.
6.    A patient man will eat ripe fruit.
7.    At the bottom of patience one finds heaven.
8.    A patient person never misses a thing. - Swahili
9.    Always being in a hurry does not prevent death, neither does going slowly prevent living. – Ibo
10.    However long the night, the dawn will break.

 Sax Player: Abstract Metal Art Card by Injete

African Quotes on Music

1. Music speaks louder than words. - African Proverb 
2. Birds sing not because they have answers but because they have songs. - African Proverb 
3. Music and women should not be dated. - African Proverb 
4. Even a horn can be stopped from fighting and made to sing forever. - African Proverb 
5. Good music goes with good food. - African Proverb 
6. Who does not love to dance, does not love to sing. - Lango Proverb 
7. He who understands music understands the cosmos. - Egyptian Proverb

 

African Women: Proverbs, Poetry and Art

In keeping with the spirit of the New Year I decided to go back to my roots for some words of wisdom. Here are some African proverbs , poetry and art about women, friendship and motherhood.

Buy Three Flirts African Abstract Art Print Here

African Friendship Quotes
1. The friends of our friends are our friends. - Congo
2. A friend is someone you share the path with. - African proverb
3. To be without a friend is to be poor indeed. - Tanzania
4. Because friendship is pleasant, we partake of our friend's entertainment; not because we have not enough to eat in our own house. - African proverb
5. Hold a true friend with both hands. - African proverb
6. A friend is someone you share the path with. - African proverb
7. Show me your friend and I will show you your character. - African proverb
8. Sorrow is like a precious treasure, shown only to friends. - African proverb
9. Return to old watering holes for more than water; friends and dreams are there to meet you. - African proverb
10. Between true friends even water drunk together is sweet enough. - African proverb
11. A small house will hold a hundred friends. - African proverb
12. A close friend can become a close enemy. - African proverb
13. Bad friends will prevent you from having good friends. - Gabon

Family Unity: Abstract African Art Painting by Injete
Buy Family Unity African Art Print here

African Mother Quotes
1. The good mother knows what her children will eat. - Akan Proverb
2. Parents give birth to the body of their children, but not always to their characters. - Ganda Proverb
3. Only a mother would carry the child that bites. - Nigerian Proverb
4. Even though the baby monkey appears so ugly it's mother loves it anyway. - African proverb
5. The mother hen does not break its own eggs. - Swahili Saying, Eastern Africa
6. He that has never traveled thinks that his mother is the only good cook in the world. - Kenya
7. Every beetle is a gazelle in the eyes of its mother. - African proverb
8. A child does not laugh at the ugliness of his mother. - African proverb
9. A mother cannot give birth to something bigger than herself. - African Proverb
10. Give birth to children and you will be pregnant with worries. - Namibian Proverb

Sunset Dreams $150 (Free Shipping)

Media: Oil Paint on Metal (8.1 x 11.75 inches) 

   
African Women Quotes
1. If men swear that they want to harm you when you are asleep, you can go to sleep. If women say so, stay awake. - African proverb
2. A woman can hide her love for 40 years, but her disgust and anger not for one day. - Arab Proverb
3. If you educate a man you educate an individual, but if you educate a woman you educate a family (nation)." - Ghana
4. A home without a woman is like a barn without cattle. - African proverb
5. An old woman  is always uneasy when dry bones are mentioned in a proverb. - African proverb
6. A woman is a flower in a garden; her husband is the fence around it. - Ghana
7. You are beautiful, but learn to work, for you cannot eat your beauty. - Congolese
8. Do not desire a woman with beautiful breasts, if you have no money. - South African

Friends On the Way to the River: $125  
Media: Oil Paint on Metal (9.25 x 13 inches)
Framed and Ready to Hang.

On the way to the river  

African Womens' Poetry by Injete Chesoni
On the way to the river
We stop and catch up
On the latest village gossip
Two sisters, two girlfriends having a chat
We talk of Amadou
And how he has married wife number two
And of Seydou
And how he flew into a rage over
His wife Paige
And her horrendous cooking
He is now thinking about
kicking her out
All over cooking
We chuckle
Maybe we will give her a lesson or two
On how to prepare a meal for two
That’s sure to please and appease her man
Into letting her stay
If she wants to that is
We chat about Mama Lucy
And her cheating ways
Yesterday she was caught
In Chief Malay’s
Boat
In a compromising position
We whisper and blush
At the thought
Wishing we were as daring and free as she
But as for us
We are tied up by the chains of domesticity
And we must return to our chores
Of fetching water
And washing clothes
And all those other never-ending tasks
The daily life of a wife
Interrupted for a moment
As we live other people's lives
In our daily gossip on the way to the river

Posing: Metal Wall Art Nude Painting by Injete

Acrylic Paint on Metal (22 x 25.5 inches Framed with Mat) 
Price: $350 (Free Shipping)