The Beautiful Mule
(A children's tale)
Beside the farm pen pond
There sat a sad and lonely mule
Everyone had left him there
Abandoned by the muddy pool
They teased the way he snorted
Every time he spoke
They teased the way he belched
Though to him it was no joke
“Have you ever lived off grass?”
He said through raspy snorts
“It would make you belch as well”
But they only laughed, of course
So he sat and listened to the birds
Merrily chirping by the water
Until a little girl approached
She was the farmer’s daughter
“What’s the matter donkey?”
Said the daughter to the Mule
“They tease me constantly,” he said
“They think this Mule’s a fool”
“You’re not a fool poor donkey”
She said kindly there to him
And the Mule couldn’t help it
When his face began to grin
“Why don’t you come along,” she said
“I’ll teach you some new tricks
I’ll even help you carry a load
Of bound up kindling sticks”
So the girl led the Mule away
And began Donkey to teach
She taught him how to saddle up
And rode him to the beach
She taught him how to work the mill
And fed him carrots and oats
Until donkey was proud and strong
A champion of the farmer’s goats
Goats are not judgmental
Like horses, cows and swine
Who always turned their noses up
Whenever he walked by
Until at last Donkey was trained
And the girl put him to use
So impressed was the farmer
That he set the Donkey loose
No longer confined inside a pen
Of wood and mud and stone
Donkey was free to roam about
But he was not alone
For wherever Donkey went
The girl was right beside
Scolding any other animal
That the Mule they dared deride
She took the Mule to market
Showing him off with pride
Then hooked him to a wagon
And he took children for a ride
He met acrobats and jugglers
And a silly clown as well
He saw all the wonderful things
That people in the markets sell
Then a beautiful she donkey
Caught his wandering eye
And the Mule at once was smitten
As the girl led Donkey by
The girl saw the look in Donkey’s eye
But pretended not to see
Instead she led the donkey home
After a ride beside the sea
That night Donkey was restless
As he turned and tossed on hay
He couldn’t take his mind off her
The she donkey he’d seen that day
Next morning Donkey was sad again
As he left the shelter of the shed
He didn’t bother wandering
And went back to the pen instead
But to his wild amazement
The girl was already there
With a beaming smile she held the reins
Of the beautiful she donkey mare
