Ave Maria (For the Severed)

[Soft, slow strings. A single, gentle harp. Signor Sammartino's voice — quiet, tender, final:]

"Ladies and gentlemen. Signore e signori. The final aria. A prayer. For the severed. For the ones who lost their faces. For the ones who lost their heads. For the ones who stayed on the shelf."

"This is 'Ave Maria.' For the severed. For the ones who can't sing along. For the ones who can't hear the music anymore. But they're still here. They're always here. On the shelf. In my heart."

[The orchestra swells. Gentle. Final.]

[ARIA — SUNG, SOFT, TENDER]

Ave Maria. Hear my prayer.
For the severed. For the ones who stare
From the shelf. From the jar. From the place I keep.
The ones who cannot sing. The ones who cannot weep.

Ave Maria. Hold them close.
The ones who lost their faces. The ones who lost their hosts.
They gave me everything. They gave me their names.
They gave me their faces. They gave me their flames.

[VERSE 2 — SUNG, BUILDING, TENDER]

Ave Maria. The voices are still.
They're listening to the prayer. They're waiting for the thrill
Of the final note. The final chord.
The final moment before the sword.

But there is no sword. There is no blade.
There is only the prayer. The prayer I made
For the severed. For the ones who fell.
For the ones who know the silence well.

[BRIDGE — SPOKEN OVER SOFT STRINGS]

[Signor Sammartino's voice, quiet, almost breaking:]

"You ever pray for someone who can't pray for themselves? Someone who lost their voice before they lost their face. Someone who can't ask for mercy because they don't have a mouth anymore."

"That's the severed. That's the ones on the shelf. That's the ones I keep. That's the ones I pray for. Every night. Every song. Every time the voices go quiet."

[The orchestra returns. Swelling. Tender. Final.]

[FINAL ARIA — SUNG, FULL ORCHESTRA, TENDER, FINAL]

Ave Maria. The final note.
The prayer is in my throat.
I sing for you. I sing for them.
The severed. The faces. The precious gems.

Ave Maria. The lights go out.
The voices whisper. The voices shout
One last time. One last cheer.
Ave Maria. The final year.

But years don't matter. Time is flat.
Ave Maria is where it's at.
I'm not leaving. I'm not gone.
Ave Maria is my song.

Ave Maria. Hear my prayer.
For the severed. For the ones who stare
From the shelf. From the jar. From the place I keep.
The ones who cannot sing. The ones who cannot weep.

Ave Maria. The end is here.
The severed are listening. The severed can hear.
I sing for them. I sing for me.
Ave Maria. Set them free.

[OUTRO]

[The orchestra fades to a single, soft harp note.]

"That was 'Ave Maria.' For the severed. For the faces. For the ones on the shelf. The final aria. The final prayer. The final note."

[The harp note fades.]

"The voices are quiet now. They're listening. They're praying with me. They're praying for the severed. They're praying for the faces. They're praying for the ones who couldn't pray for themselves."

Opera, Symphonic Orchestra, male