“It’s not as hard as people say.”
I knew that that was true.
Yet I became more troubled
The nearer that day drew.

I’d practiced long and studied hard,
Prepared as one could be;
I tried to reassure myself
It would end successfully.

The DMV, that stolid site,
Is quite a sight to see.
Though it appears innocuous,
It reeks fear and glory.

But as I approached, I held my head high,
Confident I wouldn’t botch.
After all, I knew all the street signs,
And my three-point turns were top-notch.

But as I approached my adjudicator,
I felt a thrill of dread.
Nervousness seized a hold of me –
But without a license, I’d have no street cred.

I could not seem to shake this thought
As we drove off from the curb.
Petrified that I’d screw up,
Most fatefully perturbed.

The outcome is not hard to guess --
Sadly, pitifully --
My reputation for passing tests
Had brutally been sullied

Morose and repentant,
I exited the car.
Vehicular aspirations
Were now delayed quite far.

But I would never give up
I’d pass that test next trial.
I’d simply have to endure a bruised ego,
Bumming rides for a while.