Funeral reading

Afterglow — "I'd like the memory of me to be a happy one"

Helen Lowrie Marshall

“Afterglow — "I'd like the memory of me to be a happy one"” by Helen Lowrie Marshall is a poem read at a funeral or memorial service. It takes about 30 seconds 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. Print it from a licensed source.

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.

What it says

The voice is the person who has died, and their wish is simple: to be remembered with happiness. They hope to leave behind something like the warm light that lingers after sunset, made of smiles rather than tears. They want the people they love to think of the good days and the laughing times, and to recall them gladly. It asks the mourners not to dwell on the sadness, and it is so short that the whole thing is one gentle wish. That brevity is its strength: it does not try to explain death or promise anything about what comes after, so it sits comfortably beside a hymn, a eulogy full of stories, or nothing religious at all.

Gentle and short. Suits a service the family want kept light. Read at a funeral or memorial service. Themes: a happy memory · an afterglow · short · a cheerful person · a celebration of life.

Who it suits

A cheerful, sunny person, a celebration-of-life service, and families who want the mood kept light. It suits the death of an older person after a full life. It is too slight for a sudden or tragic death, where it can seem to ask the room to feel what it cannot.

Where it goes in the ceremony

Fits early, after the welcome, to set the tone, or near the end, before the closing words. A grandchild or a close friend can read it easily, and its length makes it a kind choice for someone who wants to take part but would struggle with anything longer.

Reading it aloud

Allow about 30 seconds at a ceremony pace of about 130 words a minute, from the reader’s first word to their last.

Print it from a licensed source; it is still in copyright.
It is very short. Read it slowly, with a smile in the voice, and leave a pause at the end.
Because it speaks in the first person, introduce it with a line such as “words they might have chosen”, so the room hears it in the right voice.
If the family want it in the printed program, check the license covers print as well as reading aloud, and print it exactly as the licensed copy has it.
It pairs well with a photo slideshow or a favorite song straight after; the image of light lingering after the day is a natural bridge into music.

Questions about reading it aloud

How long does “Afterglow — "I'd like the memory of me to be a happy one"” take to read aloud?

“Afterglow — "I'd like the memory of me to be a happy one"” takes about 30 seconds 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 “Afterglow — "I'd like the memory of me to be a happy one"”?

Usually a guest reader rather than the officiant. “Afterglow — "I'd like the memory of me to be a happy one"” runs about 30 seconds, 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 “Afterglow — "I'd like the memory of me to be a happy one"” be printed in a ceremony script?

Not by us. Still in copyright. Print it from a licensed source.

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.

Start your service scriptReady in 15 minutes · no sign-up · read your draft first