Hooray! The Death Café has finally reached my hometown of Sidmouth on England’s south west Jurassic coast. Through my local paper I learnt that Aly Dickinson and Adrian Eden are holding a Death Café at Coastal Coffee Lounge on Thursday January 21^st from 6pm to 8pm, so I immediately emailed Aly (alizoun@alid.co.uk) to book a comfy seat.

Due to one of life’s coincidences I’d only bought the local paper when the receptionist at the local swimming pool excitedly informed me that an article about me was in it. Even more surprisingly, she’d recognized my photo! I had contacted a reporter some weeks previously, in an attempt to let more people know about the remembrance poems I wrote and freely made available through my website and Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/DeathFuneralBereavementPoems).

I started writing poems some years ago during a period of serious illness. My first poem was “I AM NOT GONE”, a simple loving poem of remembrance… which is now my top post on Facebook. To my amazement it has now attracted over 200,000+ Likes and 2,000+ comments.

I first became aware of Death Cafes when Paula Rainey Crofts asked for permission to use my poem “A LONG CUP OF TEA” at Bristol’s 1^st Death Café in 2012 and possibly on her flyers. I was honoured to help her.

Thank you for sharing precious moments of your life reading this far, and hopefully you now understand why I used the word Hooray. Three of my poems now follow, and you are free to use them in any non-commercial medium to help the public conversation about death.

(Please attribute to me if used).

Take care, bye for now, Michael.

"A LONG CUP OF TEA"

Death is too negative for me

So I'll be popping off

For a long cup of tea

Do splash out

On two bags in the pot

And for my god's sake

Keep the water hot

Please pick the biggest mug

You can find

Because size really does matter

At this time

I'll pass on the Lapsang

With that Souchong

And that stuff with bergamot

And stick with my favourite friend

You know the English breakfast blend

Breakfast! thanks for reminding me

There's just time before I fail

To stand on ceremony

(Two rashers of best smoked back

Should keep me smelling sweet

Up the smoke stack)

So, mother, put the kettle on for me

It's time, mother, for my long cup of tea

(Michael Ashby)

“I AM NOT GONE”

I am not gone, While you cry with me

I am not gone, While you smile with me

I am not gone, While you remember with me

I will come, When you call my name

I will come, When I feel your pain 


I will come, On your final day


It could never be, That we, Would never be


We shall always, Be together, Forever


I AM NOT GONE

(Michael Ashby)

“MILKING THE MOMENTS”

We only have today

In fact, we only have now

It’s such a chilling thought

I’m so glad I’m not a cow

My insides would churn

And turn into ice cream

I would be the biggest milkshake

That the world had ever seen

We only have today

In fact, we only have now

I’m so glad I milked my moments

But I’m even gladder I wasn’t a cow

(Michael Ashby)