26 August 2026
I live between the beats
In arteries of silence
The locked chambers
Hold in trust my love
I have prayed for
My veil of ignorance to be lifted
Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani
Leaving me a living crucible
To accept your sacred gift
To save me
Your chalice is my holy grail
An eternity on the waiting list
To be one of eight owners
Gifted life by your fate
They say surgery went well
Yet I feel unwell
Like those who loved you
I have come to know
Charon's hell
The soul price
You paid the ferryman
Now I hold the repair bill
One I can never repay
I have become
A living reliquary
Of you
I live between the beats
In arteries of silence
The chambers exposed
I hold in trust your love
There in the silence
I listen to this shared heart
Living to hear you say
I am glad
You have become
A living reliquary
Of me
© 2026 John Osinga. All rights reserved. St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada.
A note from the lyricist
A reliquary is a vessel built to hold the remains of a saint. This lyric puts a heart transplant recipient in that position — the body as the vessel. When I set out to write this, I thought about the mixed feelings a recipient must carry, from guilt to love, and the gratitude that comes with the gift of life. I also thought about the love of the one who, on their donor card, chose to give that gift to another.In crafting this lyric, I searched a long time for the exact word to hold those feelings. When I read what "reliquary" meant, I knew I had found the only word that carried the full meaning. Pronunciation: eh-LEE eh-LEE la-MA sa-bak-THA-nee (Aramaic for "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me"). Composer, I am okay to use the English alternative if you prefer. © 2026 John Osinga. All rights reserved. St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada.
