The Ledger

Editor’s Note:
Local Voices is a space for creativity, reflection, storytelling, poetry, music, memories, and the written words of people in our community. Have something to share — a poem, personal essay, lyrics, or a story from the heart? We’d love to hear from you. Email submissions to editor@thecbledger.com.

Today’s piece, I Miss Me, was written by Tanya Bass.

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I miss me.

I miss me.
The girl who was always happy and bubbly.
Ready with a laugh that could be heard through walls no matter what.

I miss me.
The poetry.
The two songs she played on the piano.
The four chords she played on a guitar.

I miss me.
The champ at rummy.
The good loser at UNO.
The one who would keep a Monopoly game going all week.

I miss me.
The one who would shoot darts and sing karaoke until dawn.
Stroll for hours.
Stop to dance in the rain because the right song came on.

I miss me.
The pretty hair and eyes.
The one who could lay down with a book and get lost in a make believe world.

I miss me.
So full of energy.
Ready for a road trip or to flip through scrapbooks… whatever the adventure.

If you find this girl, bring her back to me.
Love her. Kiss her. Twirl her around because…
I miss me.

But maybe she isn’t gone after all.
Maybe she’s just been buried beneath heartbreak, exhaustion, grief, and years of surviving.

Maybe she still lives in quiet places —
in the songs I still remember,
in the laughter that still escapes me unexpectedly,
in the part of me that still slows down when it rains.

And maybe one day, little by little,
she will find her way home to me again.