I am a poster, hanging quietly on a wall

I observe a lot but remain quiet.

I am a lonely plankton in the vast ocean that is the universe,
Going unnoticed to creatures even a tiny bit larger than me

I am a red giant, growing until I can’t grow any larger,
Exhausted I may be, but I shine as bright as I possibly can.

I am a map tucked inside an explorer’s pocket,
I’ll help guide anyone in the right direction, but only if they inquire.

I am a stereo system with a broken volume knob,
My ideas have the potential to be loud, but I can not turn them up.

I am a shattered piece of glass that has been mended back together,
I may appear healthy and whole, but nobody knows the whole truth.

I am a beloved actor years past his prime,
Years of neglect are beginning to take their toll on me.

I am a bird locked in a cage,
I long for adventure but I am not free.

I am a person born of star-dust,
I don’t mean that metaphorically, that is literal.

I am a sapling planet in the shade,
I long to stretch my limbs but I lack the nutrients.

I am who I am,
And no one will ever take that from me.