Better Than You

Do I have to be?
Better than you?
Stronger than you?
Smarter than you?
More admired than you?
Liked by more people than you?
Do I have to be better than you for me to be me?
If I am not better does that mean I am less?

I wonder…
Is it really about winners and losers.
About winning at all costs?
About winning despite the cost?
To you.
To us.
To them.
To me.

More and more
That way of thinking
And acting
And being
Feels broken to me.
And destructive.
With the cost
And the damage
More than we can bear.
And, maybe more than we can fix.