Lament for the Lost was originally published to The Balancing Path column on Patheos Pagan, on December 14, 2020. It is presented here with some edits from the original.

This rather lengthy poem was created to commemorate all that has been lost, especially in recent months and recent years, from lives, to livelihoods, normalcy, dignity, and sanity.  The very first week that the United States locked down due to COVID-19, I felt that I would need to write this.  To my surprise, it was not a week or two later, but instead many months before I was able to compose this poem.  It is not just about recognizing losses, but also having compassion for others and ourselves, no matter the individual struggle.  I hope it speaks to you, helps to give your heart voice, and helps to sooth the wounds of so many overwhelming losses of so many kinds, near and far.

Grief takes many forms, and in order to process our losses and our traumas, we must take the time to engage with our grief.  If we do not do that, we can never truly move on.  The pain will remain poignant, affecting not just our memories, but much of our present and future, making it all the more difficult to make healthy changes.

This lament can be incorporated into ritual, especially on the full or new moon, or sabbats.  All you need to do is read it.  It can also be used as a focus or addition to spellwork which is complementary to the meaning of the Lament for the Lost.

I lament!
I lament for the Lost!
For the friends and partners!
For the orphans and siblings!
For the parents and cousins!
For the young and the old!
For the family we choose!
For the family by birth!
For all of them and so many more!
Be they lives well lived or lives ill spent,
Be they lives barely started or lives long declining,
They be precious lives and treasured lives!
So many hopes and dreams and plans,
Dashed and broken and battered and gone.

I lament those Lost to Life,
Snuffed out by novel illness,
Exhausted with coughing and weakness,
They struggled for breath.
They struggled for strength.
They struggled to hold on just a little bit longer.
Whether cared for or turned away,
They met their ends too soon,
Lost in isolation and pain and despair.

I witness those Lost to Life,
The staggering multitudes,
Gone far too soon.
I hear their voices.
I feel their pain.
I look for meaning in meaninglessness.
I bear witness to their lives and their loss,
And I will carry them with me forever and always
For I too am Lost.

Be they lives well lived or lives ill spent,
Be they lives barely started or lives long declining,
They be precious lives and treasured lives!
So many hopes and dreams and plans,
Dashed and broken and battered and gone.

I lament those Lost to Health,
Tormented by novel illness,
Exhausted with pain and breathlessness,
They struggle for strength,
They struggle for stamina,
They struggle for wellbeing just out of reach,
But they were the fortunate ones,
Now abandoned and dismissed,
Lost in illness and disability.

I witness those Lost to Health,
The staggering multitudes,
Trapped in endless “recovery”.
I hear their voices.
I feel their pain.
I seek meaning in meaninglessness.
I bear witness to their lives and their struggles,
And I will carry them with me forever and always
For I too am Lost.

Be they lives well lived or lives ill spent,
Be they lives barely started or lives long declining,
They be precious lives and treasured lives!
So many hopes and dreams and plans,
Dashed and broken and battered and gone.

I lament those Lost to Upheaval,
Victims of greed and callousness,
Vulnerable to hunger and exposure,
They struggle for security,
They struggle for resources,
They struggle for shelter in so many ways,
Destroyed by systems utterly failing,
Now ignored and neglected,
Lost in heartless indifference.

I witness those Lost to Upheaval,
The staggering multitudes
Straining to meet basic needs.
I hear their voices.
I feel their pain.
I seek meaning in meaninglessness.
I bear witness to their lives and their struggles,
And I will carry them with me forever and always
For I too am Lost.

Be they lives well lived or lives ill spent,
Be they lives barely started or lives long declining,
They be precious lives and treasured lives!
So many hopes and dreams and plans,
Dashed and broken and battered and gone.

I lament those Lost to Dignity,
Prey to aggressions big and small,
Tortured by racism bigotry and more,
They struggle for safety,
They struggle for opportunity,
They struggle for civility under constant attack,
Oppressed by structures most unfair,
Beaten and killed by avarices of hate.
Lost in malicious disdain.

I see those Lost to Dignity,
The staggering multitudes
Fighting for rights and respect.
I hear their voices.
I feel their pain.
I seek meaning in meaninglessness.
I bear witness to their lives and their struggles,
And I will carry that with me forever and always
For I too am Lost.

They be precious lives and treasured lives!
So many hopes and dreams and plans,
Dashed and broken and battered and gone.

I lament those Lost to Despair,
Sacrificed to mental illness,
Agonized by stress and depression,
They struggle for hope,
They struggle for peace,
They struggle for sanity in the face of adversity,
Hounded by isolation and desperation,
Drowning in an ocean of tragedy,
Lost in loneliness and dread.

I see those Lost to Despair,
The staggering multitudes
Struggling in solitude and upheaval.
I hear their voices.
I feel their pain.
I seek meaning in meaninglessness.
I bear witness to their lives and their struggles,
And I will carry them with me forever and always
For I too am Lost.

We lament!
We lament for the Lost!
For the friends and partners!
For the orphans and siblings!
For the parents and cousins!
For the young and the old!
For the family we choose!
For the family by birth!
For all of them and so many more!
Be they lives well lived or lives ill spent,
Be they lives barely started or lives long declining,
They be precious lives and treasured lives!
So many hopes and dreams and plans,
Dashed and broken and battered and gone.

I witness all those Lost to Life.
I witness all those Lost to Health.
I witness all those Lost to Upheaval.
I witness all those Lost to Dignity.
I witness all those Lost to Despair.
I witness all those who suffer needlessly.
For as they are Lost,
So we all are Lost.

They are the Lost.
I am the Lost.
You are the Lost.
We are all the Lost.