"Threads Between Us" by Izabel Dutcher (Tied, 3rd Place Winner, Top of Iowa, 9th/10th Grade - Poetry)

Izabel Dutcher is a freshman at Mason City High School and a dedicated student-athlete. A former Forest City student, she’s passionate about wrestling, reading, and writing, and is eager to grow and make an impact in her new community.

A laugh travels faster than light,
bridging the quiet spaces of night.
No map, no compass, no direction—
just hearts that find each other,
woven in a web of gentle connection.

We speak in silences,
the language of shared glances,
where words fall short
but meaning overflows.

Friendship, the steady flame,
a lantern lit through storm and rain.
It does not ask, it simply stays,
a hand to hold, a voice that says:
You are not alone.

And in that knowing,
we become infinite—
not because we are many,
but because we are together.