Cadence Kelly

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Cadence Kelly

"Palette in Motion"

I was born in bold strokes -

ice-white mornings and sky-blue dreams,

tiny blades carving purpose into frozen ground,

back when home was close

and the rink was just down the road.

But I outgrew the canvas.

My game turned faster than the town could keep up,

so I chased opportunity

on highways lit in amber dusk,

headlights cutting through indigo miles

to places I’d never been

but had to call home.

Every few years: a new hue.

A different team, unfamiliar shades of trust,

coaches with sharp reds or quiet grays,

teammates painted in inside jokes

I wasn’t part of - yet.

Still, I blended.

Layered myself like watercolor:

persistent, adaptable, never running.

Sometimes I led with gold -

Captain not just in name,

but in the quiet moments

when someone needed a voice,

a nod, a pass they didn’t expect

but so badly needed.

There were streaks of midnight too -

lonely drives, unfinished meals,

history homework lit by a glovebox bulb,

wondering if I was missing too much

while giving everything I had.

But I stayed on honor roll.

Stayed on the ice.

Stayed myself.

Now I wear all the shades I’ve earned:

the forest green of grit,

the storm gray of uncertainty,

the sunrise orange of second chances,

the ice-blue core that never cracked

no matter how far I traveled from where I started.

I carry this palette forward,

brushed bold across the dreams I still chase -

not just for me, but for the girls who watch

and wonder if there’s a place for them

in this game,

on this road,

with this life.

There is.

And it’s painted

in every jersey color

I refused to leave behind.