The Traveler by Arthur Guiterman

The Traveler
by
Arthur Guiterman

Oh, who would choose to be a traveler? --

That anxious railway-guide unraveler

Who spends his nights in berths and bunks,

His days in chaperoning trunks;

Who stands in line at gates and wickets

To spend his means on costly tickets

To Irkutsk, Liverpool and Yap

And other dots upon the map.

He never rests, but always hurries

From place to place, beset with worries

About hotels and future trips

And just how much to give in tips.

He plods through galleries, museums,

Cathedrals, castles, coliseums,

And villages reputed quaint

With patience worthy of a saint

To give his friends the chance of hooting,

"You didn't visit Little Tooting?!!"

This poem is in the public domain.

Arthur Guiterman (1871 - 1943) was an editor, book reviewer, and poet. Born in Vienna, Austria, to American parents, he was a small man who talked fast and was well-liked. Co-founder of the Poetry Society of America, he was best known for his humorous poems and his entertaining, rhyming book reviews. Arthur published more than a dozen books and his poems appeared in major magazines such as Life and The New Yorker on a regular basis.

KevinArnold:
What a great find, both the poem and the poet.
Posted 07/21/2013 08:14 AM

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