who are you?

I am a warrior
protected by artificial assurance
who gets their courage
from risking things other than lives

i AM a sailboat
dependent on breath for motion
i'm dead in a sea of critics
treading black water that's swallowing me whole

i am a star
twinkling in an abandoned sky
ANYTHING i try to do
somehow no one notices my sparkle

i am a window
transparent but inpenetrable
i wish I could let you in
but you're not sunlight

i am a vase
holding what outside you bring in
i WANT to be the one everyone sees
but i am merely the catalyst for another's radiance

i am a flame
dangerous TO forests and homes
undervalued i can be
you let me spread destruction all around

i am a tear
shed in happy and sad times
i run from my flaws
wishing you would just let me BE