Watching the Tourists

It’s fun to watch the tourists
As they stroll around and gawk,
Their maps clutched in their fingers
For their first time in New Yawk.

They navigate the streets to get
To where the guide books say,
Pausing just to snap their photos,
Then they’re up and on their way.

I don’t offer any help unless
They come to me and ask,
For to butt in someone’s business
Shouldn’t be a native’s task.

But if they require assistance
To their chosen destination,
I’ll do what I can to counter
A New Yorker’s reputation.

For at times, I am the tourist
In a city I don’t know.
I appreciate the locals
Who direct me where to go.

Since the world is full of strangers
From an unfamiliar place,
We can welcome their arrival
With a smiling, friendly face.