I Never Called Her Momma - The Atlantic</title><meta name="description" content="My childhood in a crack house"/><meta property="krux:title" content="I Never Called Her Momma - The Atlantic"/><meta property="krux:description" content="My childhood in a crack house"/><link rel="canonical" href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2023/10/family-addiction-drugs-kentucky-new-york/675113/"/><link rel="image_src" href="https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/LlWmb9eGZaQCWZGP57TIVcRPz-Q=/0x66:3102x1682/1200x625/media/img/2023/08/1023_Watts_Jenisha_portrait_web_16x9/original.jpg"/><meta name="author" content="Jenisha Watts"/><link rel="ia:markup_url" href="https://www.theatlantic.com/facebook-instant/article/675113/"/><meta property="article:publisher" content="https://www.facebook.com/TheAtlantic/"/><meta property="article:opinion" content="false"/><meta property="article:content_tier" content="metered"/><meta property="article:tag" content="family"/><meta property="article:section" 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Watts, diligent student, young poet of great promise, it.One day" itemID="#keywords"/><meta name="news_keywords" content="us.My granny, next day, first time, single must-read, paintings of women, New York City, message.At work, much help, family friend of Maya, given day, family of James Baldwin, looks of the life, school bus, walk-in closet, Trina, black Super Soaker, little brother Colby, grandmother Momma, normal life, wore suits, dining-room table, red jacket hand, Lots of people, high-school prom, front door, brother’s name, Aunt Soso, Ms. Brown, own albums, different kind of family, good big sister, older girls, new white ribbons, apartment complexes, friend’s house, gun.One time, People magazine, hazel eyes, family background, most perfect manuscript, fourth grade, share lines, Maya Angelou’s back, very white city, teddy bear, only book, Trina Watts, diligent student, young poet of great promise, it.One day"/><meta name="sailthru.tags" 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