Never Am I

I saw a gray tree that was so disgustingly plain
I sought to make it better. Oh, the beauty it could gain!
Others would see; “How gorgeous!” they would exclaim

I shook off the ugly leaves and tossed them astray
I pulled off the bark, but underneath it was still gray
I cut into the wood. It wept the sap, its tears of pain
I bleached the tree yet it remained the same
I covered it in paint but the paint would fade

I tried and tried, but the tree would not change
Then all the answers came to me one day
I wonder and wonder, why it always forgave
And day in and day out it provided me with shade

Then one frightening night, lightning struck to my dismay
Inside the fallen tree was a blood red heart, beating away.