Memorial Day: Do not Stand at My Grave and Weep

Happy Memorial Day weekend everyone. Remember to take a break from barbecuing on Monday at 3:00 p.m. for a “national moment of silence” to honor our fallen troops. One poem comes to mind that is a fitting tribute to all the brave American soldiers who have given their lives for country. Do not Stand at My Grave and Weep is my all time favorite poem or prayer.

Its’ origins are uncertain but it is often attributed as a Hopi prayer written by Mary Frye. The following version is from 1939.

Do not stand at my grave and weep,

I am not there--I do not sleep.

I am the thousand winds that blow,

I am the diamond glints in snow,

I am the sunlight on ripened grain.

I am a gentle autumn rain.

As you awake with morning’s hush

I am the swift-up flinging rush

Of quiet birds in circling flight.

Do not stand at my grave and cry,

I am not there--I did not die.

Here is a version of Do not Stand at My Grave and Weep in song form.