“Twenty Poems of Bereavement” is a title in the “Instead of a Card” series, based on the idea that sending a greeting card is a lovely gesture, and sending a booklet of poetry an even more meaningful one.

This booklet contains poems of bereavement selected for their beauty and the sense of consolation that they offer. There are poems that question and mourn, alongside others that accept the inevitability of death and give thanks for a life well lived. Each pamphlet is gorgeous both inside and out, beautifully produced with a cardstock cover, Ex Libris bookplate, and a bookmark gift enclosure with space for an inscription to the recipient.

Poems old and new reflect on the transforming experience of losing someone we love. For those arranging a funeral or simply seeking the quiet company of words to help them through the long process of grieving, this varied and reflective selection is sure to offer comfort:

“I lie here in a riot of sunlight
Watching the day break and the clouds flying.
Everything is going to be all right.”
—Derek Mahon, “Everything is Going to Be All Right”

With a cover created by a leading contemporary artist and poems hand-picked to speak to every kind of reader, each “Instead of a Card” title offers a richly rewarding reading journey. Produced using biodegradable and sustainable materials.

Poems by Robert Burns, Emily Dickinson, Sasha Dugdale, Lorna Goodison, Thomas Hardy, Matthew Hollis, Jackie Kay, Faith Lawrence, Derek Mahon, Sue Millard, Adrian Mitchell, Corinne Roosevelt Robinson, Christina Rossetti, William Shakespeare, Penelope Shuttle, Edna St Vincent Millay, Mark Twain, Anna Wigley and Jeremy Young.

Cover illustration by Alexandra Buckle

Dimensions 5.5" x 8.25".