Sometimes we hand ourselves Over to violence As if in punishment For crimes we did not commit. And they will tell us When someone shows you Who they are behind their mask, You should believe them the first time. But we never do. So will I believe you the second Third or fourth time you let your mask slip? How long does it take To realize that you're falling For the same lies You told yourself as a child? We all have our blind spots in life. You lived in mine so long With that same old, tired dance and song, But now that I see what’s behind the mask, I can never unsee. Will I ever be free From a life lived merely to survive This game of lies? I've been surrounded By people covered in hard scaled armor My entire life, So I didn't realize there was any other way to be. Will I hang myself at the alter Of these unrealized sins? Or will I find a better way to live? I still have to look in the mirror To prove to myself that underneath my mask, *I* still exist.