Me and the Mule

“Me and the Mule” is separated into two stanzas of four lines each. The poem has a rhyme scheme of abcb aded. Although the poem does not use a formal meter, there are key differences between the rhythm of the first and second stanzas.

The first stanza’s metrical units are longer, with between six and eight beats per line. Only the first line of the first stanza contains a shorter syllabic count (of three beats.) The second stanza has a faster rhythm, with shorter beats and fewer syllables per line. Two of the lines come in at five beats, and another finishes with six beats. The final line of the poem metrically echoes the first, with only three words containing one syllable each.

The form and meter of “Me and the Mule” underscore the poem’s two themes. The first stanza introduces the poem’s central metaphor and providing description of the racial inequality, stereotyping, and loss of identity suffered by the speaker. Its lines are longer and its rhythm is slower, with an array of downbeats providing a sense of downward, falling momentum.