Pen of Iron 2nd Place Poetry Winner: “The Girl Likes” by Betsy Balch

When fire colors the fall trees,
The girl likes to pick up lonely green leaves.
When she walks down the morning dewed
streets,
The girl likes to step with Converse on her feet.
When she feels like hope is far,
The girl likes to strum on her guitar.

The girl is lonely, but she rises above that,
Still, she hides her red eyes behind her hat.
The girl needed someone who cared,
But even so, she’s too scared.
The girl would run from an opened arm,
She would be afraid of the potential harm.

When the rain falls from the broken sky,
The girl likes to throw out her arms and fly.
When she spins in circles, outside and alone,
The girl likes to run her fingers across the
stone.
When the world’s tears fall on her face,
The girl likes having her own separate place.

When the world changes around her,
The girl likes to capture a lasting picture.
When the image develops in black and white,
The girl likes to see it in the light.
But when they are finished, she hides them
away.

The girl likes to think she’ll need them
someday.

The girl is lovely but no one can see
The beauty she brings to this world is free.
The girl needed someone who cared,
But even so, she’s too scared.
The girl would love and open arm,
But she would be afraid of the potential harm.