The Mule Maker

He was an expert
At cultivating mules,
And his were some of
The orneriest,
Most stubborn,
Ones around.
He always seemed to be
In a battle of wits
With one mule or another,
And invariable
It was the mule who won.
He had tried everything
He could think of
To dominate those beasts,
To get them
To do his bidding,
But no amount of cursive abuse
Or honey-coated manipulation
Ever seemed to work.
He couldn’t force,
Trick, shame, or control
A one of them.
They just dug their heels in
And refused to budge.
It didn’t matter
If they were
The four legged
Or the two legged variety,
The results were the same.
By the time
He was done with them
They were enrolled
In being a mule!