Hillbilly Elegy

a series of fond memories about Mamaw
and Papaw and Uncle Red and Teaberry
and that time Uncle David drove off the
side of the mountain, rolled a hundred
yards down the hill, and walked away
without a scratch. Lindsay and I instead
listened to Mom tell us that we were too
sad, that we loved Mamaw too much,
and that Mom had the greater right to
grief because, in her words, “She was
my mom, not yours!”
I have never felt angrier at anyone
for anything. For years, I had made
excuses for Mom. I had tried to help
manage her drug problem, read those
stupid books about addiction, and
accompanied her to N.A. meetings. I had