Crawl into a space
Where no man has tread
Or shown his face
Not for years now
Except in dreams
No shadows do they stir
Only dust and bone

– Jessy Oeffler

Lick the Plaster From the Walls

Whether the authors of Lick the Plaster From the Walls are spinning dark tales: “the car had old vintage seats / that got recked because of haunted / snowmen” (“Eerie Forest”) or detailing the smells of home, they do so with vivid descriptions and surprising language. There’s nostalgia in these pages: “As everything blends on my tongue, I seem to go back in time, childhood dinners, laughter, the feeling that nothing could ever go wrong as long as the family stuck it out together” (“Tamale Pie”). The writers explore the past and people they’ve lost. Amidst greif, there are moments of reconnection: “We are celebrating the world / Of life and death at the same time / We are celebrating that we get to live in this world” (“Celebrate”). This book invites you into a world of monsters and joy and curses and comfort all tangled together.

 

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