All Hail The Mule

All hail the mule

Because although your eyes blink slow

And your snout droops down

Because although you are regarded as nothing more

Than someone, something

To toil under the sun

Like another piece of machinery

Like another simple beast

What they do not see is that

You persevere like no other

You push through the labor with your head high

And your hooves steady

All hail the mule

Because you are determined to

Keep going

No matter what

Every day you take a load and carry it

Up the steep slopes of the mountain

And you do it all over again

Hours upon hours upon hours

Of work are placed on your back

But you do not falter, and you do not delay

Your pace balanced against the rocky hillside

Your stride confident and steadfast

Every step of the way

Resilient against the drudgery of your daily life

All hail the mule

Your legs brawny and staunch

Your attitude stubborn yet patient

Like a donkey

Your stature like a peasant’s stallion

Your coat a deep, shiny mahogany

Like a horse

Your parents gave you their traits

But humans gave you your name

Obstinate, they say

Dumb, they say

But little do they know

Of your strength

And your worth

That you have proven for so long

Yet is always ignored in favor of clichés

So I say this to all

All hail the mule

The burdened liegeman

The humble creature

Always overshadowed by the beautiful and the regal

Always pushed to one side but

Always doing its task with diligence and effort

It may not be exquisite, and it may not be noble

But the mule is tough and mighty

A peasant’s stallion indeed,

All hail the mule.