Una Oracion para los Muertos--A Prayer for the Dead

                                Una Oracion para lost Muertos--a prayer for the Dead  

Dear God or Goddess/Creator,

On this Dia de los Muertos, let us remember and honor with love and compassion the spirits of:

The Victims of the Tree of Life Synagogue killings in Pittsburgh and all who have perished as a result of Antisemitism; those murdered in the Nazi Holocaust

Jamal Kassoggi and all journalists who have been murdered simply because they told the truth

All migrants and refugees who have died during their perilous journeys to new lands

All victims of Czarist, Soviet, and Putinist assassination and imprisonment

All victims of famine and malnutrition throughout history

All who have died from preventable or treatable illnesses due to lack of medical care

All who died as the result of war or as targets of political assassination

All who have died in natural disasters, particularly those associated with climate change

All infants and young children whose deaths were kept secret at maternal "homes" in Ireland

All who have died as a consequence of slavery, lynching, convict labor, and racist police violence

All, including innocent children, who have died in our communities as a result of gun violence

All who have taken their own lives in suicide

All who were killed in gang violence, in the US, Latin America, and elsewhere

All, like Matthew Shepard, who have died in hate crimes for having been sexually non-binary


And while we deeply grieve all who died as the result of violence, neglect or hate crimes, let us also remember the many creative, wise, and courageous public figures who have died during the past year for various other reasons.  Most of all, let us remember our ancestors, family, and friends who have passed on to the next life and continue to inspire us in our lives here on earth.