Funeral reading

Woodland Burial

Pam Ayres

“Woodland Burial” by Pam Ayres is a poem read at a funeral or memorial service. It takes about a minute and a half read aloud, usually by a guest reader. We do not reprint the words here — the note below says why, and what to bring instead.

Why the words are not printed here

Still in copyright — it is in Surgically Enhanced (2006). Print it from that, and check the family have heard it: it is specific about the body going into the ground and feeding the wood, which is the point of it and not what everyone expects.

Pieces still in copyright are listed by title and author only — we name them and tell you where to get them, but we do not reproduce the words. Public-domain text is printed in your script in full.

Where it comes from

Pam Ayres’s collection Surgically Enhanced was published by Hodder & Stoughton in September 2006.

What it says

The speaker turns down a traditional churchyard grave, with its cold stone and gloomy setting, and asks instead to be buried in a wood with a tree to mark the place. She is cheerfully frank about her body going into the earth and feeding the roots, and she pictures the tree growing strong because of her. Visitors will come to a living tree rather than a headstone, and she will be part of the woodland. It is warm and wry rather than laugh-out-loud funny, and its frankness is the point.

Warmly wry rather than laugh-out-loud — say so, if the family asked for something funny. Read at a funeral or memorial service. Themes: woodland burial · a natural or green burial · don’t lay me in some gloomy churchyard · a gardener · warmly wry rather than laugh-out-loud · returning to the earth.

Who it suits

Natural or green burials, woodland burial grounds, gardeners and lovers of the countryside, and families who want warmth with a smile. It suits British families who know Ayres. Because it is specific about the body returning to the ground, check that the family are comfortable with that before choosing it.

Where it goes in the ceremony

Fits well at the graveside, just before or after the committal, or in the service before the family go out to the burial ground. A friend or relative with an easy reading voice reads it.

Reading it aloud

Allow about a minute and a half at a ceremony pace of about 130 words a minute, from the reader’s first word to their last.

Check the family have heard the whole poem. Its details about the body are what make it honest, and not every family expects them.
Ayres writes in regular rhyme. Let the rhythm carry it, and keep the tone affectionate rather than comic.
If the family asked for something funny, tell them in advance it is wry rather than hilarious, so nobody is waiting for a big laugh.

Questions about reading it aloud

How long does “Woodland Burial” take to read aloud?

“Woodland Burial” takes about a minute and a half read aloud at a ceremony pace, which is slower than conversation — roughly 130 words a minute. That is the figure the run-sheet uses when it works out the timing for the whole service.

Who usually reads “Woodland Burial”?

Usually a guest reader rather than the officiant. “Woodland Burial” runs about a minute and a half, which is a manageable amount to hand to a friend or family member. Give them a printed copy of their own, in a size they can read without their glasses, and tell them where to stand and how you will introduce them.

Can “Woodland Burial” be printed in a ceremony script?

Not by us. Still in copyright — it is in Surgically Enhanced (2006). Print it from that, and check the family have heard it: it is specific about the body going into the ground and feeding the wood, which is the point of it and not what everyone expects.

A reading is two minutes of the hour.

The rest is the welcome, the life, the remembrances, the committal — and knowing what comes next. Answer some questions about them and get the whole service, written out, with this reading in its place.

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