Cadence Dilks Wins Elementia Poetry Contest

Kayley Tran, Online Editor-in-Chief & Senior Ads Manager

February 18, 2026

Dilks is involved in activities such as theatre and color guard. They shared that they love to write and has always wanted something of theirs to be published.

On Feb. 5 Cadence Dilks, 10, was selected as the winner of the annual Elementia Poetry Contest for Spring Hill and De Soto. The contest, open to Johnson County teens ages 12–19, challenges participants to write poems up to 20 lines inspired by the theme “Legacy.”

Cadence’s winning poem will be featured in a long-term display at the newly remodeled Spring Hill Library branch and will also be considered for inclusion in the upcoming issue of Elementia.

We would like to congratulate Dilks for their achievement and encourage other teens to continue expressing their passion for writing.

Dilks was unavailable for comment.

Including below is the poem Dilks wrote for the contest:

The Echo of My Name By: Cadence Dilks

I had carved my name in rivers, taught the wind to sing my tale,
I raised fortresses of moonlight, where the mortal dreams grew pale,
Now moss veils my symbols, and the sky forgets my flame,
Yet kingdoms will still whisper, the echo of my name,
The stars will still hum my verses through the hush of twilight’s glow,
While ancient oaks recall my strength that only legends will know,
Though stone may crumble, and tides can reclaim their wave,
My spirits may linger timeless–unchained by my fleeting flame,

Is this the echo of my name?

I have walked through realms uncharted, where no shadows dare to tread,
Wove thunder into silence, crowned the quiet in my final bed,
My triumphs now sleep in ruin, and my foes have turned to dust,
Yet time bends round my silence with reluctant, reverent trust,
The winds shift their stories, the stars may trade their lore,
But my echos cling to silence like waves returning to shore,
If no lips dare to utter of me, and no hand recalls my light,
What stays when silence claims the night?

The last light sank beneath the roots where none shall rise the same—

And darkness drank the final echo of my name.

About the Contributor

Kayley Tran, Online Editor-in-Chief & Senior Ads Manager

Hiii!! I’m Kayley Tran, I am a senior and this is my third year in SPUB! I am the Online Editor in Chief and one of the senior ads manager. This means I am the one behind this website as well as some of the senior ads in the yearbook! I believe that journalism has so many purposes. Helping create new connections and giving people a place to be heard are only two reasons why journalism matters. When I’m not creating content for SPUB or catching up on my school work you can find me doing crafts, buying more stuffed animals, or hanging out with my friends and family. I am sad this is my final year, but I am excited to see what we create this year!

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Cadence Dilks Wins Elementia Poetry Contest

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