The Periphery

Many love the spotlight
And will grab it when they can.
Attention-seeking seems to be
Their life-long master plan.

Others bask in adulation
When it comes their way,
Though they’re just as happy
When they aren’t on display.

But a lot of folks are living,
Or at least from what I see,
An existence in the shadows
Or on the periphery.

As they’re standing on the sidelines
And observing from afar,
Opportunities drift by
Yet they are stuck right where they are.

It’s a mystery what holds them –
Varied reasons all their own –
But contented or resentful,
They’re insistently unknown.

Still, behind closed doors, just maybe,
Though they’re hidden from our sight,
They are nurturing some talent
That may never see the light.