Processing Me
I am at the Wisconsin DMV
I am sitting on a plastic chair
I am scolded by a supervisor for
sitting instead of
proceeding directly to Photos
I am told to sit down in another plastic chair and
wait for my number to be called
I am DY72
I am in the process of being processed
Now I know how cheese must feel
© 2012 Amy Barlow Liberatore/Sharp Little Pencil
For dverse and Poets United!
Sharp Little Pencil 
Debbie
I want to hit the like button some more! 🙂 Loved this Amy!
Sharp Little Pencil
I know it was cheesy, but…! 8^)
Semaphore
The flat, sardonic tone of voice is perfect for this. It would be hilarious… except I’ve been through the same “processing” as well. Spot on.
Sharp Little Pencil
Thanks, Semaphore! Remember Woody Allen’s formula: Tragedy plus Time = Comedy. (wink) Now to come see what YOU’RE up to…! Amy
brian
ha…yep, had to get new tags recently and got processed myself…fun line ont he cheese there in the end…
Sharp Little Pencil
Hey, it’s Wisconsin; that was the best comparison of all! Thanks, Brian, and smiles, Amy
S.E.Ingraham
I am loving this … so funny in that processed cheese kinda way – welcome back Amy!
Sharp Little Pencil
Sharon, so glad you got the sardonic tone of this one! Once in a while I get that synapse firing, where I feel like Chaplin inside the machine works… Amy
kaykuala
Yes Amy! Sometimes we’re reduced to being a # and they treat us as one, a number! It’s as though we owe them a living. They just call out a # when they need our attention. When all’s done only then that we regain back human respect and decency. That’s the way it is when dealing with a Government agency! We just got to stomach it somehow!
Hank
Sharp Little Pencil
I kill ’em all with kindness. Actually, smaller towns are sometimes the worst, if you don’t know the folks behind the counter, because they want to get you out of the way and chat with friends! Same with voting!
Madison folks really aren’t that bad. This was a synthesis of many, many experiences, topped with Wisconsin Cheddar. 8^) Amy
viv blake
😀 I’d love to know what all the initials mean.
Sharp Little Pencil
DMV is the Department of Motor Vehicles. The other one was just the slip of paper handed to me! (wink) Amy
Altonian
My sympathies! If your waiting line moved as slowly as ours does here, that number 72 would translate to 72 hours, or three days, which is a long time on a plastic chair.
Sharp Little Pencil
Oh, don’t you simply LOVE the feel of a cold plastic chair on an over-50 rear end? Oy, I thought I would die, squirming this way and that. Sorry your brand of government takes even longer… Amy
Roger Green
You are hardly cheesy!
Sharp Little Pencil
But I am a Cheesehead (Green Bay Packers fan). I insisted on converting when we moved. I will never, repeat, NEVER wear the actual cheesehead, because foam rubber creeps me out, but I believe in rooting for the home team… Thanks, Roger, for the character reference! Amy
Penny
Love this Amy! It really conjures the impersonality of the process. I could hear your plastic wrapper crinkle. Wonderful writing. penny x
Sharp Little Pencil
Thanks, Penny. Sometimes it’s these moments that create more of an impression with me than the State of the Union address…! Amy
Chazzy Chazz
The alienation you describe has potential to broaden out into something powerful. There’s an insight into who you are that goes beyond cheese, I think!
Sharp Little Pencil
“Beyond the Cheese.” Maybe that’s what I’ll call my next chapbook, ha ha. Charles, I’m so glad you could relate to this – and yes, if you read my activist poems, you’ll find my sympathies are always with the rank and file, the cogs in the machine who are treated badly by CEOs. Thanks, Amy
Sherry Blue Sky
Hee hee. Gotta watch those bureaucrats when they get in positions of Power. Love it!
Sharp Little Pencil
Like I told someone else, these folks in WI aren’t really that bad. It was a melange of bad memories from many different cities, including NYC and Buffalo! Amy
Laurie Kolp
Amy- I’m so glad to see you blogging again.
Sharp Little Pencil
Laurie, right back atcha! Feel like I’m home. Peace, Amy
Lindy Lee
Cheese? not until you’re scalded, strained, wrapped then hung out to dry. Tee! Hee!
Sharp Little Pencil
Oh, they did those things in New York City, but Wisconsin is much kinder!!! Amy
Joseph Harker
And at the DMV, as with some cheeses, they just leave you there for a looonnnng time… 😉
Sharp Little Pencil
It’s called aging… a process I cannot seem to avoid! Nice to see you here, Joseph, and glad to be back. Amy ;^)
MiskMask
This one really tickled my funny bone and gave me a good giggle. Very clever, Amy.
Sharp Little Pencil
Marilyn, glad I could give you a giggle. I think we need one once in a while – especially on this blog, ha ha ha! Amy