Hillbilly Elegy

years, I just wanted it to stop. I didn’t
care so much about the fighting, the
screaming, or even the drugs. I just
wanted a home, and I wanted to stay
there, and I wanted these goddamned
strangers to stay the fuck out.
Now consider the sum of my life
after I moved in with Mamaw
permanently. At the end of tenth grade, I
lived with Mamaw, in her house, with no
one else. At the end of eleventh grade, I
lived with Mamaw, in her house, with no
one else. At the end of twelfth grade, I
lived with Mamaw, in her house, with no
one else. I could say that the peace of
Mamaw’s home gave me a safe space to
do my homework. I could say that the