IF I SHOULD GO
~ Joyce Grenfell
If I should go before the rest of you Break not a flower nor inscribe a stone Nor when I’m gone speak in a Sunday voice But be the usual selves that I have known Weep if you must Parting is Hell But life goes on, So sing as well. Joyce Grenfell's poem, often titled "If I Should Go" or "If I Should Die," is widely cited in funeral services and poetry collections, emphasizing a gentle, non-somber remembrance, encouraging loved ones to "be the usual selves that I have known" and to "sing as well," acknowledging parting as hell but life's continuity
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