Do heroes follow fools?
Or
Do they make their own rules?
Do heroes sin?
Or always win?
Are heroes brave?
When the day is saved
Who do we have to owe?
When peace is a no-show
Who shows us the light?
When they start to fight.
For everything that is right.
Who turns your life away from a zero?
A hero.

I. STRENGTH;
any man can fight,
any man can swing his fists,
or shoot a gun.
any man can fight for himself,
but a hero fights for others.

(he fights their demons, but who fights his?)

II. SUPPORT;
any man can defend.
any man can raise his shield,
or make a narrow escape.
any man can defend himself,
but a hero defends others.

(he is a wall of solid rock,
but rock cannot bend; only break)

III. SPIRIT;
any man can suffer.
any man can weather a storm,
or feel the sting of pain.
any man can suffer for himself,
but a hero suffers for others.

(he has scars that none can remember;
or is it they not care to recall?)

IV. SYMPATHY;
any man can be happy.
any man can make money,
or indulge in all his desires.
any man can bring happiness to himself,
but a hero brings happiness unto others.

(they praise his name to the sky;
but no one asks why he cries)

V. SACRIFICE;
any man can die.
any man can be killed,
for he is still but a man.
any man can die for himself,
but a hero dies for others—

and so a hero never dies.

(but sometimes, they die inside,
and there’s no marker for that grave.)

you know, in a way,
monsters are heroes too.

the world needs monsters
like a clown needs its makeup.

– like a turtle needs its shell;
like a mirror needs a reflection.

without monsters,
we’d see the ones in ourselves.