“She Is Gone” is a touching funeral poem by David Harkins , reflecting the deep feelings of an English poet and painter, David Harkins was born on the 14th November, 1958, in Carlisle, Cumbria, Harkins originally wrote the piece in 1982 under the title “Remember Me”. The poem was inspired by unreciprocated love, penned for a girl named Anne Lloyd who remained Harkins’ muse but never returned his feelings.
While deeply personal in origin, the poem has grown into a universal testimony of hope, resilience, and remembrance for everyone who mourns the passing of a loved one.
This short and powerful work calls for the bereaved to seek comfort in memories, to treasure the life taken. Its popularity endured due to the content being simple but emotionally clear in bringing consolation through various words.
It gained further international interest in 2002.
A royal reading
This was when it was read at Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother’s funeral service. Previously attributed to “Anonymous,” it had remained a mystery until Harkins came forward.
Queen Elizabeth herself had chosen it after finding it in an anthology used during the funeral of Margaret, Dowager Viscountess De L’Isle. Its inclusion reflected a message to move on yet still hold dear, reaching mourners across the world.
Since the death of the Queen Mother, “She Is Gone” has been one of the most read and recited funeral poems, used in many, many ceremonies to say good-bye to loved ones.
It has been spoken in comparison with such great elegies as W.H. Auden’s “Stop All the Clocks” for its expression of sentiments common to mankind as a whole. Unlike so many classic poems, though, its plainness of language lets it reach into hearts without pretension.
She is Gone
These days, David Harkins still lives a quiet life and paints. Though he modestly downplays his poetic tendencies, “She Is Gone” has remained an indelible mark to comfort and give hope to generations in the pains of their loss. A message so tender, it reminds one to embrace love, memory, and to move on.
She is Gone by David Harkins, click to view poem
For more poem inspiration visit the Save Funeral Costs blog of funeral poems.
