I feel captive, hostage, trapped and bound
Within the corners of my own mind
Deep within my skin

I feel like there  is no exit sign, no escape, no doors or windows
But I feel so free
Like I can be, do, see or say anything at all

I push everything aside
Tell my heart and mind that I don't feel a thing
I turn my senses off and I escape

I go where no one else can see
I know people I've never met
And I've been places no ones dreamt

But I  can't help it
I can't turn it off
I can't escape when I dissociate

I am a prisoner inside my mind
I've been hurt and this is how I cope
But I don't feel anything

I only feel the feelings of someone I am not
Someone I can never be
I have memories of someone foreign living in my skin

But I can't help it
I need to leave, pause, reset and breath
I can escape when I dissociate

I want to take your hand
walk together on the oceans shore till dusk
hike along the mountainside to see the sunrise
I don't want to be alone
So I'll take you with me where I go

I want to take your hand
But it's not there for me
All I have is the memory
I don't want to be alone
So i'll take it with me where I go

I want to turn back time
I'll make things right
till there's no sorrow left
I'll keep you captive in my dreams
When I slip away inside my head
I don't like to be alone
So i'll keep you right here by my side

I want to take your hand
But it's not there for me
All I have is make believe
I don't want to be alone
So I'll stay like this inside my mind

I'm like a hostage in my skin
All the feelings
If I keep them deep within
If I stay quiet like a doll
Will you take my hand
Will you stay like this by my side?

I don't want to be alone
So I'll treat my heart just like a stone
All I have are memories of false realities
I don't want to be alone
So I'll treat myself just like a stone

I love my wife
A fact so many overlook and don't believe
When I see something beautiful my first thought is Hera
Our marriage is everything to me
Hera is my reason, my judgement, my rationality
She is my freedom, my understanding, my sentiment

I am the king of Gods
I know things no mortal could understand
I know of hero's who will be and who must
And I know that it is my blood that must flow
Into those mortal veins to make them strong as Ares
Fast as Hermes and as smart as Athena
I know there is no other way

My beloved Hera,
She forgives me for what I must do
But her heart is broken, shattered and crumbled
I see it fall apart more and more, my own a shallow reflection
To hold her all together, to make her whole-
My most selfish desire after all I've done

To see her happiness shine through those cracks
Fleeting now, unlike the time before we had such responsibility
Before hero's were needed, before duty and divinity
Back when the world was new and it was simply the two of us
Hera and Zeus
When her heart shone so bright it nearly blinded me
I took one look at her and I saw something no mortal could
Something no fleeting romance could give me

I saw the Heavens in her eyes, I saw paradise

They call me ugly and shun me, hide me from their sight
But they don't know what true beauty is
True beauty is the sunset of my forge
The artistry of my blades
All the passion and dedication in my armor
True beauty is seen in my presence
But it's a sight for only those who are worthy
For someone who wants to appreciate real beauty
Must be someone willing to look where others won't

What separates me from my wife is beauty
It's what separates putrid and clean, fragrant and rotten
But that is just the base of the reality
True, unfiltered beauty is unconventional
It's the sound of metal on metal
The feeling of heat embracing you like a blanket
It's not an appearance, but a feeling
True beauty is irrational, it can't be reasoned
You can list a million reasons why Aphrodite is beautiful
But when it comes to describing love your words stumble
Because beauty is something so unimaginable that there are no words
There is no rationality or reason
Beauty is not in the eye of the beholder
It is in the eyes of those who are willing to look beyond tangibility

Yes, I am a woman
We're forced to say it like a curse
Because the moment we are discovered
Evil eyes of all sorts gaze upon us, questioning and curious

Is she beautiful?
Is her skin like porcelain?
Her hair, is it soft like silk?
Do her eyes shine like the stars?
And her virtue above all else, is she pure?

Men compare us to treasure as if it's a compliment
Saying our eyes are like sapphires and emeralds
To them we are silk and gold
Nothing more than measurements of their wealth
It's as if they think we won't find out it's just another way to measure our worth,
As if they think we can't understand that it isn't a compliment, it's a currency

They don't see my warrior gaze
My impenetrable skin, thick with valor
They look at my hands and see a delicate doll
They don't see the way these delicate hands wrap around my bow
How my eyes are sharp and steady
No, they only see the innocent sparkle

They aren't looking for my capabilities
They seek value in my appearance alone
They are putting prices on me,
Comparing me to the latest trends
For what is my courage worth when I have such a beautiful face?

Yes, I am a woman
But I am a warrior first
See my battle scars, see my victories
See my strength and bravery
My honor, see it an recognize me

I am the protector of women
Not because they can't defend themselves
But because they shouldn't have to
I am the one who shows the truth
Who guides the moonlight into their veins
The one who takes away those sparkling lies
For before my eyes, no woman will bend to the whims of man

It's a slow poison
It's the sound of a certain cracking
That can't be placed to any specific memory
A sound so nostalgic and familiar
It's the sound that takes the place
Of laughter and lullaby
The sound is a million tiny cracks
In a broken mosaic glass
Like a spiderweb that holds
Every feeling of hurt in each tiny crevice
One day enough pressure will be applied
To completely shatter
Your fragile glass heart
And that cracking sound
Will be the last you hear

I see a rainbow sea of people
I see your culture; your history
I see your pain; your fear

I don't want to erase the battles you've won
I don't want to belittle your fight
I don't want to erase your uniqueness

I want to see a painting with the colors of life
I want to recognize your diversity; your struggles
I want to see your healing; your relief

I don't want blissful ignorance
I want to see the truth