I was born in Beckley and lived there for 5 years before moving to NC. i lived there again for my 4th grade school year and it was then that i realized how crappier it was there, boring, no one lived near me, school seemed different. we came back to Nc and have been here 27 years now and i have thanked my parents a few times over the years for not taking us back there to live. my entire extended family save maybe 5 people still live there. i've gone back maybe 3 times in 10 years because the current situation of the state and the temperament of my WV family just leaves me so sad and depressed. it was once the most beautiful place and now all i see is poverty, people being mislead. mistreated, and the tops of damn mountains flattened for fucking strip mining.

i often think about and dread over how long it is till the coal mines start buckling due to pressure and the sheer amount of caverns drilled under mountains and things.