ONE OF THE BEST poems ever written in my book is “Funeral Blues” from Wynstan Hugh Auden. He won the Pulitzer Prize in 1948 for poetry for his book “Age of Anxiety.” This was the poem we all cried over in the film Four Weddings and a Funeral, and yes, he was gay.
Funeral Blues
by W.H. Auden Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,
Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,
Silence the pianos and with muffled drum
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.
Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead
Scribbling on the sky the message He Is Dead,
Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves,
Let the traffic policeman wear black cotton gloves.
He was my North, my South, my East and West,
My working week and my Sunday rest,
My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;
I thought that love would last for ever: I was wrong.
The stars are not wanted now; put out everyone
Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun;
Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood;
For nothing now can ever come to any good.
I get teary-eyed every time I read the poem. Poignant, searing, haunting; It’s like a knife piercing into your heart. Ok, I’m being melodramatic but that kind of pain, that kind of emotions can only come from somebody who truly loved.
It’s All Soul’s Day so I still get to talk morbid! My wish is that my family would read this to me on my funeral. I hope I deserve it anyway. I hope they’d read it not because I requested it but because that’s exactly how they’d feel when I’m gone. Let this be part of my living will. Hey it’s my death, am entitled. I want to be part of the planning!
While am on the subject, I want all the works in my funeral- not elaborate but meaningful… I want to see white everywhere. White clothing, white balloons, white flowers, white doves! I want the mood to be a little sad yet festive. NO long sermons but there should be a eulogy done in the cemetery. C’mmon, there must be some things I did right and some good deeds I’ve made! So a eulogy or two from members of my family and perhaps from two close friends should do well. No matter where in the world I’d be, I want all my friends to be there, all the people I’ve come across with- past and present. Is that to much to ask coming from a dead friend??
A must music should include: Des’ree’s You Gotta Be, Boys II Men and Mariah Carey’s One Sweet Day, Kavana’s Will You Wait For Me, Norah Jones’ Come Away With Me, Dido’s Thank You, Alanis Morissette’s You Learn and Sarah Mclachlan’s songs. There should be a live band singing those songs in church or fine, I’ll settle for an acoustic ensemble. If you can do away please, with religious songs like “Hindi Kita Malilimutan” (I will never forget you) or really, really sad tagalog (Filipino) songs. I forgot what they are but they’re the ones almost always played in Filipino funerals where the loved ones, so overwhelmed with grief that they want to literally jump on the dug grave and join their dead beloved. I swear it’s those sad songs that make them want to do that! Now, I don’t want to hear those, OK?
There should be a party after, with some great music playing throughout the night. Music from the albums of Everything But the Girl, Swing Out Sister, U2, Beatles, Julia Fordham. Some House music would be nice. Most 80’s classic songs! Some 90’s dance songs like Life, Hey, Better than You, Give Me A little More Time, I’ll be Missing You, If You Could Read my Mind, Love You down, The Real Thing, The Best Things, Do You Believe in me- go ahead, play them! Maybe I’ll live to be a hundred- now those songs would perhaps sound really weird for my children and grandchildren. But that would be a nice subject to talk about by itself. Should I die young, then everybody else should be able to relate with the music.
If something else comes up, I’ll let you know. Meanwhile, note on this my friends and loved ones and remember… ©
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