Hillbilly Elegy

landlord arrived and found Pattie
topless, stoned, and unconscious on her
living room couch. Upstairs the bathtub
was overflowing—hence, the leaking
roof. Pattie had apparently drawn herself
a bath, taken a few prescription
painkillers, and passed out. The top
floor of her home and many of her
family’s possessions were ruined. This
is the reality of our community. It’s about
a naked druggie destroying what little of
value exists in her life. It’s about
children who lose their toys and clothes
to a mother’s addiction.
Another neighbor lived alone in a
big pink house. She was a recluse, a
neighborhood mystery. She came outside