Stay Awhile
The pillows were fluffed.
The linens were fresh.
The hosts were anticipating
very special guests.
They were writers and singers-
musicians on route
to the Safety Harbor Songwriter Festival,
to see what was afoot.
The Peers stocked the fridge for
Barrett Smith and Emily Kopp.
This party was no flop.
The hugs felt really nice.
They even took a harbor cruise
out on the Peer-a-dise.
Fine music filled the balmy breeze,
sun washed in purple hues,
the pontoons slapped the waves
applauding the swell view.
The Duffys drove to TIA
where an airplane delivered David Jacob Strain.
He got off the plane a stranger,
his music in his soul-
He left the Harbor’s fold
with the whole town in his pocket,
it was like he put the Duffys’ hearts
in a little silver locket.
And as the rhyme about friends goes-
about new friends and old,
one is surely silver, and the other is pure gold.
Just wait until I tell you now
of Ryan Montbleau
from Masachusetts …
maybe it was Boston?
He stayed with Eric and Alicia
and played music for us often.
He played in St. Pete as well.
But he thought our
little town
was just as cool as Austin.
He encountered a huge Century plant on the corner of 5th. and 2nd.
It rose up without warning.
at 5-ish in the morning.
Although he’d never met his hosts
before
the music fest,
he wrote their song
eight
years ago-
of this I would not jest.
It’s amazing how things happen
when the universe unfolds.
Shannon Whitworth
has a dog
Her name is Patsy Cline.
She asked the Kepners to baby-sit
while she sang her songs so fine.
They worried that their boy dog
wouldn’t be a friendly guy,
but Bacchus was the perfect host
And Patsy Cline was fine.
And speaking of the universe
and the gifts it does bestow,
when Callaghan came to sing for us
on those sultry song-filled nights,
how would we ever know
that Janet Lee and Brian
would make a friend for life?
Then Callaghan gave a song-gift
to Janet Lee at Whimzey
and took us all along with her
a place that made us dizzy, [in a good way]
a place somewhere
Over
the
Rainbow.
Thanks to everyone who helped make the first Safety Harbor Singer Songwriter Festival a success. We know there were so many host families and we would love to hear your stories in the comments below. Was there a fun experience, a funny moment, or something really special that happened?
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