bio

Tess. Lotta is an artist, musician, and writer of poetry and journalism. Her work has appeared in such publications as Clamor, BUST, Moxie, Rockrgrl, Knock, The Raven Chronicles, and The Stranger. She curates the Literati Cocktail reading series in her hometown of Los Angeles, and recently co-edited Lounge Lit: An Anthology of Poetry and Fiction by the Writers of Literati Cocktail and Rhapsodomancy. Currently, she is earning her MA in English at CSU, Dominguez Hills, and works on campus as the teaching assistant for the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program. Information on her many creative projects can be found at
Lit Parlor

Craving

The myth of sweet tooth as culprit,
an easy blame, like the female is
for bruised phallus.

Targets of custard, ice cream and my body
swarm my head the way in her hips
you imagine confiscation—

go ahead, lick your lips;
you like me take no skill to beat on a body
taught to hate itself,

and yes, sugar fills desire,
like does power,
and tooth is the lenient culprit—

unlike poisoned longing
or the vested rage of emasculation
or the yes, yes, yes of rancid desire

and when it hits the argument with tooth goes
no, nono, yesno—(no),
ah fuck
yes.

copyright 2006 Tess. Lotta

Postmodern Pin Up

for JC

What convinces her body to be hung
like a sop rag from
an iron hook—

worries nine to five the wiping of late in the day,
frets the possibility of another spill while
important fibers are drowned
and reliant on leeches
swollen with a need
to latch on.

What convinces her body to be hung
like a prized cut from
an iron hook—

worries her hindquarter heavy everyday,
frets the possibility of each morsel while
the fickle gaze is plump
and ready for pleasure
swollen with a need
to think itself virile.

(What must replace,
forthrightly, that’s right, and
in her own voice the whisper of use me)

copyright 2006 Tess. Lotta