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Woodland Burial

Author: Pam Ayres

This Page Includes: Full Verses of the Poem in Text. A Recording of the Poem (Audio). A Free PDF Download for reading purposes. Free Editable Google Doc Download if you wish to make changes or to personalise the poem. The page also includes what the poem is about, structure of poem and explaining the best parts.

Woodland Burial Poem Verses

Don’t lay me in some gloomy churchyard shaded by a wall
Where the dust of ancient bones has spread a dryness over all,
Lay me in some leafy loam where, sheltered from the cold
Little seeds investigate and tender leaves unfold.
There kindly and affectionately, plant a native tree
To grow resplendent before God and hold some part of me.
The roots will not disturb me as they went their peaceful way
To build the fine and bountiful, from closure and decay.
To seek their small requirements so that when their work is done
I’ll be tall and standing strongly in the beauty of the sun.

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Please note the audio recording may not exactly match the text version as 'Woodland Burial' can be tailored/personalised

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Personalised Poem

Would you like to customise this poem? You have the option to personalise it by accessing the provided link, which will direct you to Google Docs. From there, you can download the poem ‘Memories’ to your personal Google Docs account or Microsoft Word where you will be able to edit the poem however you want.

Personalised Poem

About the poem

The poem expresses the speaker's desire for their final resting place to be somewhere other than a traditional, dreary churchyard. Instead, they want to be laid in a leafy loam, where new life can grow around them. The speaker asks for a native tree to be planted there, so that it may grow tall and strong in the beauty of the sun, and hold a part of them. The poem celebrates the cycle of life and death, and the beauty that can come from decay and renewal.

The Structure of Poem

The poem is structured in four stanzas of varying length, with irregular rhyme and meter. The first stanza expresses a desire to be buried in a place where life continues to flourish and grow, rather than in a gloomy, lifeless cemetery. The second stanza describes the wish to be planted alongside a native tree, so that the speaker may continue to be a part of the natural world, and the tree may thrive and grow strong. The third stanza portrays the tree's roots as peaceful and non-invasive, seeking only to nourish and support the tree's growth. The final stanza describes the speaker's hope that the tree will stand tall and strong in the sun, and that the speaker's spirit will be a part of that beauty.

Best Quote from Woodland Burial Poem

This is a quote from the poem Woodland Burial by Pam Ayres

"Don’t lay me in some gloomy churchyard shaded by a wall Where the dust of ancient bones has spread a dryness over all, Lay me in some leafy loam where, sheltered from the cold Little seeds investigate and tender leaves unfold."

This quote expresses the speaker's desire for a natural and peaceful burial in a beautiful and nurturing environment, rather than a cold and sterile churchyard. The imagery of little seeds investigating and tender leaves unfolding evokes a sense of new life and growth, which contrasts with the decay and dust of ancient bones. It speaks to the human desire for connection with nature and the cycle of life, even in death.