Ode To A Headless Mule

An Elegy by Tom Ross, Atty.

To Commemorate the Passing of an Anonymous Mule
Whose Demise Did Almost Upset the Harmonious
Nonpartisan Cooperation of a Well Oiled Machine
Known as the Coahoma County Board of Supervisors

What precedent will be set this day
If we find that the vet, we should pay;
We weren't taught in law school,
What to do with a mule,
That was killed by a fast Chevrolet.

"Dead mule on the side of the road,"
Is not found in the Mississippi Code.
To say it's dead where it laid
Is why coroners get paid.
But can we pay Dr. Grant what he's owed?

But follow the Code we must;
The public funds are a sacred trust.
Though the people guffaw,
We must follow the law,
Or the Audit Department will cuss.

But the Audit Department says, "No!"
"When a mule receives a deathblow,
We can't pay to declare,
Though it doesn't seem fair,
That the mule is a dead so-and-so."

So how do we pay for this sin?
Well, much to my chagrin,
The only way we can pay,
And make this go away;
We'll all just have to chip in.