Why couldn't that be me?

I was brought into this world expecting to be surrounded by love

Instead, I was caged in by concrete paths and busy roads

I was expecting to grow strong and healthy, meanwhile I was hit with words that felt like daggers

My ruby sap dripped down like honey from my trunk while I tried to hold it in

The wind caressed my branches making me feel at home

Off in the distance, I could see saplings surrounded by trees

Why couldn't that be me?

As time went on

Months

Years

I felt myself growing tighter and tighter

I hadn't noticed I had been strangling myself with hugs I had never gotten

I took my last breath and asked

Why couldn't that be me