Preserve the memory of your loved one with a plaque on our Yahrzeit Wall. Learn More ->

Search
Close this search box.

Shed a Tear, Say a Prayer

 
Who were we when it began?
Life was normal, so we thought…
We looked at the morning news,
We packed our lunches as usual,
We took our kids to school,
Went to restaurants,
Visited our friends…
A lifetime ago we sang together.
 
Then the doors closed on us.
We shed a tear, we prayed.
We watched as people were dying
But it wasn’t us,
Not yet,
Too slowly we learned to fear…
 
We became germaphobes.
Hoarding toilet paper and disinfectant wipes,
Scared to even touch or breathe.
Months passed and we grew lazy.
Even as more people became infected
We were determined to go back,
To return to what we knew,
To become normal.
 
And we did become normalized again.
Not the old, 
A new normal.
We watched as death tolls rose,
Becoming increasingly blasé,
Wanting our “freedom”.
Soon, dying wasn’t scaring us anymore.
 
People became numbers,
Numbers beyond belief.
Thousands,
Tens of thousands,
Still more…
One hundred thousand,
Three hundred thousand,
And today we reached a milestone.
A horrible, saddening,
One Half Million…
 
A number hard to even comprehend,
A number which no longer shocks.
A number which should be unfathomable,
A number of human lives lost.
 
Today, we must reclaim our hearts
Today, we must reclaim our souls
Today, we must be outraged again
And we must shed a tear.
One for each who has departed,
And say our prayers for them.

 

Facebook
Email

Ritualwell content is available for free thanks to the generous support of readers like you! Please help us continue to offer meaningful content with a donation today. 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Rituals

The Reconstructionist Network

Serving as central organization of the Reconstructionist movement

Training the next generation of groundbreaking rabbis

Modeling respectful conversations on pressing Jewish issues

Curating original, Jewish rituals, and convening Jewish creatives

Join the Ritualwell community to read and discuss examples of hope expressed in writing through song, story, humor and metaphor that will stir you to think about where hope lives within you.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.

Get the latest from Ritualwell

Subscribe for the latest rituals, online learning opportunities, and unique Judaica finds from our store.

The Reconstructionist Network