Will the real poet please stand up?

My publishing company, Yelton Rhodes Music, publishes several choral works that use the folowing poem, a poem we all had thought was written by someone called Mary Frye. We knew nothing of her, what her dates were or anything else.

•

Do not stand at my grave and weep
For I am not there I do not sleep
I am a thousand winds that blow
I am diamond glints of snow
I am the sunlight on ripened grain
I am the gentle autumn’s rain
When you awake in the morning’s hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds encircled flight
I am the soft star that shines at night
Do not stand at my grave and cry
I am not there
I did not die

•

I received the following correspondence from Peter Ramsey who claims to be the ACTUAL poet.

I wrote my original poem about 45 years ago in a moment of reflection… my thoughts today still.
Don’t think I had any one particular person in mind though.
The first line read, “Please don’t stand at my grave and weep.”
Minimal sharing of the poem took place; but at some time, probably within 5 years I changed the first line to read, “Do not stand at my grave and weep.”

I didn’t really think too much about the poem; only pulling it out if I could find it in moments of need, or if I came across it’s hiding place.
It was shared with radio stations in my hometown Adelaide, Australia, who often mailed it out to listeners who wanted it.
I also had access to teledex, fax, etc…
As we entered the computer age, I remember scanning the handwritten poem & also transcribing it.
It also opened up the world via internet etc.. It was widely shared now.
None of my pre Microsoft files remain.
I still have some files from 1990, & several a little later.

About 5 or 6 years ago I came across a webpage suggesting my poem was written by an unknown author about 1940 as a song.
As I have written & shared much of the million pages I have written as a hobby using pseudonym “Perter Ferter” it only made me chuckle.

About a month ago I heard a Katherine Jenkins song.
I decided to investigate Katherine on the internet.
The search page made reference to “Do not stand at my grave and weep.”
Searches of this, & I find 1.4 million references to the poem…. Many of them crediting Mary Frye as author…. All info from one source.

Knowing the facts about the poem, I didn’t know what to do but correct what appears to me to be a fabrication.
Mary Frye claims appear to be without substance…. No one has produced a copy of her poem so widely distributed by her.

If I had been aware in 2000 what was happening, I doubt 1.4 million pages would be assigned to the poem & the lie.

I note that others claim to writing it.. but they are the ones where verses & lines have been changed, added etc.. they are not a problem to me.
It was my intention that the poem has more meaning to comfort if it has unknown or anon author.
I am happy to fwd my longest surviving computer files.. & if I come across the handwritten version a copy of that too.
Like I said… Until recently I didn’t think it very important… I can write it from memory now anyway.

Hope I comfort everyone who loses someone….

I have also found this article at businessballs.com giving a thumbnail bio of Mary Frye with a bit of background stating that SHE actually is the poet in fact Abigail Van Buren (“Dear Abbey”) helped identify the “true” author — maybe.

There are a lot of nut cases out there, and Mr Ramsey seemed to be a sober enough chap, but I’m at a loss as to what to do. Any advice?