One Cannot Live Another Person's Life/ Even By Envying Them Poem by Shalom Freedman

ONE CANNOT LIVE ANOTHER PERSON’S LIFE

One cannot live another person’s life
Even by envying them-
Those who have more than I have
Those who have more and better
Those who were greater at what I most wanted to be
Those who have lived longer and happier
Those who outdid me in every day
They have their own lives and stories
And must contend with what they have to contend with-
I must contend not with their stories but only with mine-