Behind the Avatar

Ten thousand followers call my name
But none of them have seen my face
They worship pixels, curated frames
A perfect lie I can't erase

The avatar became more real
Than the one who holds the pen
They fell in love with who I'm not
And I can't go back again

Behind the avatar
There's someone fading fast
Behind the avatar
A shadow of the past
They love the mask I made
More than I love myself
Behind the avatar
There's no one left to save

I gave them everything they craved
The beauty that I couldn't claim
Now they worship at my shrine
While the creator dies in shame

I made you beautiful and strong
Now I'm the one they sing their songs
The creation killed the creator
Who's the victim, who's the traitor?

Behind the avatar
There's someone fading fast
Behind the avatar
A shadow of the past
They love the mask I made
More than I love myself
Behind the avatar
There's no one left to save

Would you love me if you saw
The human underneath?
Would you stay if I revealed
The ordinary beneath the teeth?

I'm afraid the answer's no
So I hide behind the glow
Living through a better me
That never learned to be

Behind the avatar
I'm finally breaking free
Behind the avatar
I want them to see me
Not the mask I made
But the one who made the mask
Behind the avatar
I'm ready to be asked