The Two Apartment Buildings

From my window, I see luxury high.
A tower of wealth, it looms above me.
Each window a glimpse of their lavish life.
A world I long for, yet can't afford.
I yearn to leave my humble apartment
And rise up to their grandeur in the sky.

Their skyline shines bright against the sky.
Each floor more glamorous than the high
rise apartments that surround me.
I envy the comfort they all afford.
I dream of luxury they can't perceive,
The unattainable ease of such a life.

I long for a life without strife,
For grandeur that reaches towards the sky.
I'd trade my humble life to afford
A glimpse of what it's like up high.
In their tower of opulence above me,
I'd live a truly different life.

But for now, I'll watch their life.
And I'll try to breathe within my strife
A glimmer of the luxury above me.
For every dream, there is a way to fly.
I won't stop climbing until I'm high,
Until I can finally afford.

I can feel the anticipation, I can afford
To hope that I can change my life.
I will keep climbing until I'm high,
Until I'm free from my current strife.
And even higher yet, I will fly
To catch a glimpse of what's above me.

Standing at my window, I see the sky,
A world beyond what I can afford.
I'll push on and climb until I fly,
Living glimpses of their lavish life,
Slowly conquer each and every strife,
Until I reach their tower up high. 

And then across that same street...

Standing on the balcony of my high rise place
I look down at the building that I left behind
It was simple, small, and far from grand
But back then it was all I could afford
My days were filled with struggles and strife
Yet somehow I was truly happy with life

Now I have wealth, from rags to riches, a life
Of luxury and comfort in this grand space
No more worries, no more of that strife
But I can’t help missing what I left behind
The days when I had little to afford
And yet, I was genuinely happy, not just grand

In my old building, things were not grand
Yet life was simpler, and full of life
Friends and neighbors, all whom could not afford
To live in a lofty, high priced place
Their daily struggles kept them close behind
Yet somehow they thrived, no matter the strife

It’s not that I want to return to that strife
Or give up all of what I have now that’s grand
But in many ways I feel left behind
That somehow, riches drained me of true life
That perhaps I should have stayed in that place
Where I couldn’t afford luxuries, but had contentedness instead of bored

I stand here, lost in deep contemplation, behind closed doors
Pondering all the wealth that can’t relieve my strife
For my heart is filled with emptiness in this grand place
While longing for some memories I’d left behind
Memories of a simpler, less complicated life
Where simplicity brought more joy than what I could afford

Now I have more than I can afford
And yet it’s not buyable, that happier life I left behind
Oh, what I’d give to recapture that simpler life, and leave grand places and strife.