Secular Poems and Books
What to Read to the Dying
Often when we accompany someone in the the end of their life journey, we are looking for something to share with them and perhaps to read with them. If you would like to read, ask your loved one what they would like to have read out loud. They may choose poetry, a meditation, letters ,or a personal travel journal. Perhaps they would enjoy the newspaper or a favorite book. It's important to let that central person choose, though. Allowing that agency is key at a time when so much choice is lost.
Below are some poetry and book suggestions if your loved one is looking for ideas. Remember that as your loved one begins to get more tired or perhaps can't remember very well from day to day, then choose readings that do not need to have an ongoing connection between days.
Earlier in the journey may be a better time to read a a book. Here are just a couple suggestions but we would love to hear your other ideas.
BOOKS
"Rafael and the Noble Task" by Catherine Salton (book)
This is a fun-to-read, short little book to read within a few days or week at the bedside.
It's a wonderfully creative story from the perspective of an endearing gargoyle named Raphael who is looking for his Noble Task to give meaning to his life. This task sets him on a confusing path of great consequence and he must find deep courage within himself to set things right.
"The Little Paris Bookshop" by Nina George (book)
Perdu, the book shop owner, prescribes books to heal the heartache of his customers who visit his bookstore on a boat. Still he struggles to heal his own heartache until one day he sets off on an adventure down the Seine.
"Internationally bestselling and filled with warmth and adventure, The Little Paris Bookshop is a love letter to books, meant for anyone who believes in the power of stories to shape people's lives."
This blog gives a few more book ideas of book ideas as well.
POETRY
Near the end of life, poetry,which does not require following a story from day to day, may be a better choice. Here are some poems that others have enjoyed.
"Let evening come" poem by Jane Kenyon
"Lost" poem by David Wagoner
"Soaking Up Sun" poem by Tom Hennen
"The Guest House" poem by Jalaluddin Rumi. This poem is wonderfully read aloud here by Helena Bonham Carter.
"To Autumn" poem by John Keats (1819). A poem from the Romantic Period that perhaps takes effort for a modern reader to understand but also could be fun to perform with with "thy" and "dost." Regardless, the feeling and ruminations of this classic poem describing autumn can still be followed.
"Good poems" edited by Garrison Keillor (book). An anthology of witty and passionate poems from classic poets as well as contemporary authorsGoodreads Explains that "Good Poems" "includes verse organized by theme about lovers, children, failure, everyday life, death, and transcendence. ... It's a book of poems for anybody who loves poetry whether they know it or not."