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2026 Competition Entry:

FRAGILE BITS OF LIGHT by David Mentzer

Lyrics

Verse 1 I fell in love on our grade school playground,
I stumbled in four-square before the first bell rang,
When you helped me up, your face eclipsed the sunlight,
The skin off my knees was forgotten in your smile.

Chorus Your hand in mine is lightning in a bottle,
Our jelly jars with flashing stars still fill our nights each summer,
On concrete or dirt road, wherever we may roam,
With fireflies in hand our way is lit with wonder…
Just fragile bits of light, but enough to follow home.

Bridge 1 We sit down to watch the first fireflies of the night,
Our iced teas are sweating and the sky is losing light…

Verse 2 These warm summer nights, we watch from this old porch swing
As the fireflies rehearse for life as stars up in the sky,
And legend says each one’s a promise from a lover,
So I grab one for a kiss from you and then I set it free.

Bridge When I’m away, getting home is such a hunger,
‘Cause then I can touch you & my need becomes a wonder…

Verse 3 I came home one day from errands in the city,
You wrote a song on the dirty windows of our old sedan–
“Through all these years and all we’ve yet to do,
In coming home you’ll always have my arms to step into…”

Chorus Your hand in mine is lightning in a bottle,
Our jelly jars with flashing stars still fill our nights each summer,
On concrete or dirt road, wherever we may roam,
With fireflies in hand our way is lit with wonder…
Just fragile bits of light, but enough to follow home.



lyrics by David Jo Mentzer

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