Summers With Southwestern Company Poem by JOHNNY COBB

'It's a great day to be a bookman,
It's the best thing that I know...'
Sang the Bookman song a million times
Beginning in Lima, Ohio.

As a door-to-door book salesman
I worked 80+ hours each week.
Could make big bucks IF I make a sale.
A summer job most college kids won't seek.

A chance to travel and be my own boss
Live in states where I'd normally not go.
I'll challenge myself; I'm up for the task
Train for a week in Nashville, then let's go.

I'll sell Student Handbooks, dictionaries,
Bible stories and children's story books.
Sometimes America loves the bookman,
Other times: slammed doors and dirty looks.

My second summer was Indiana
Then two times in beautiful Michigan.
My fifth summer was in upstate New York.
Worked through college the hardest way one can.