Poetry Unbound: Harryette Mullen — LUVTOFU

Host: Pádraig Ó Tuama
Date: February 9, 2026
Podcast: Poetry Unbound by On Being Studios

Episode Overview

In this episode, Pádraig Ó Tuama explores Harryette Mullen’s poem “LUVTOFU.” The episode unpacks the poem’s witty linguistic play, savory sensuality, and the many layers of meaning hidden within a seemingly simple title. Rooted in a real-life incident involving a vegan’s controversial license plate, Ó Tuama uses this poem as a lens to discuss language’s potential for double meanings, poetic craft, sensuality, and the importance of multiple interpretations.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Double-Edged Nature of Language

• Opening Anecdote (00:02):
  Ó Tuama starts by recounting a story about a politician misunderstanding the text abbreviation “LOL.” He thought it meant “lots of love” instead of “laugh out loud,” which resulted in some uncomfortable miscommunications.

  “He was texting one thing, thinking it meant one thing, but actually it meant another.” (00:40, Pádraig Ó Tuama)

• Parallel to the Poem’s Title:
  This anecdote sets up the central theme—how language can simultaneously hold multiple meanings, both humorous and awkward.

2. Introduction & Recitation of “LUVTOFU”

• Ó Tuama reads “LUVTOFU” out loud, emphasizing its surface playfulness with tofu’s textures and flavors, while hinting at deeper, sensual undertones.
• The poem takes inspiration from a real news headline:

  “Vegan’s license plate recalled in state crackdown.”

3. Double Entendre: “LUVTOFU” / “Love to Fu”

• Interpretive Ambiguity (02:15):
  The title “LUVTOFU” (all caps, no spaces) can be read as both “love tofu” and, suggestively, “love to f— you.”

  “The seven letters love tofu also obviously can be read as love to fu, which gives the entire poem a completely different meaning.” (03:12, Ó Tuama)

• Ó Tuama rereads the poem, substituting in the innuendo, highlighting its cheeky double meaning.

4. Background: The Origin Story

• The original story involved a vegan in Maine whose “LUVTOFU” license plate was recalled by the state for its potential for vulgar misinterpretation.

  “The state of Maine said that it was too open to misinterpretation, and it came across as vulgar. And he actually didn’t want a vulgar license plate.” (04:12, Ó Tuama)

5. Poetic Craft and Devices

• Ó Tuama draws attention to the poem’s intricate use of rhyme, half rhyme, alliteration, and assonance:
  • Examples:
    • “silky, creamy, sweet and dreamy”
    • “solid, firm and fleshy”
    • “taste and texture”
    • “kitchen when it’s sizzling”
    • “basting and tasting our spicy special sauce”

  “Alongside the humor and the innuendo of this brilliant poem is such deep craft of rhyme and half rhyme and alliteration and assonance.” (05:23, Ó Tuama)

• Poet’s vulnerability:

  "When we've been recording this, I keep on tripping over it, perhaps 'cause I'm blushing on the radio..." (06:23, Ó Tuama)

6. The I-You Dynamic and Sensuality

• Address and Emotion:
  Focus on the poem’s use of “I” and “you,” creating an intimate, sensual relationship.

  “Underneath the play of this very clever, sexy, suggestive, brilliant poem is an address of someone I to a you.” (07:03, Ó Tuama)

• Ó Tuama discusses how vowel sounds carry musical and emotional resonance in poetry.

7. Literary Allusions

• Reference to Elizabeth Barrett Browning:
  The opening line, “How much do I love tofu?” echoes the famous, “How do I love thee?” of Sonnet 43.

  “So throughout this Love tofu, love to f you poem from Harriet Mullen, there's a wink to older poetry, poetry from women that had been discounted.” (08:30, Ó Tuama)

• Reference to Audre Lorde:
  Allusions to Lorde’s essay “Uses of the Erotic” are identified in the poem’s exploration of pleasure, the body, and creativity.

8. Poetic Rule-Breaking and Multiplicity

• Mullen’s overall body of work is briefly contextualized—her interest in challenging linguistic norms, representing Black women’s voices, and using poetry as a rule-breaking form.

  “Poetry in general is a rule breaking activity. And I think that's picked up in this poem that breaks a rule, perhaps about what you can or can't write a poem about.” (09:40, Ó Tuama)

9. The Concluding Twist: “Argue”

• Attention to the poem’s final line:

  “Surely you knew I love tofu more than I love to argue.”

• Ó Tuama muses on “argue” as both a playful and potentially somber turn, suggesting the erotic is a way to live seriously, and that pleasure doesn’t exclude seriousness.

10. Layered Surface and Meaning

• Takeaway:
  The importance of accepting and celebrating multiple simultaneous interpretations rather than insisting on single meanings.

  "Harriet Mullen is asserting brilliantly, deliciously, that multiple things are on the surface." (11:29, Ó Tuama)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On misreadings and double meanings:

  "He was texting one thing, thinking it meant one thing, but actually it meant another." (00:40, Ó Tuama)

• On suggestiveness:

  “Love tofu also obviously can be read as love to fu, which gives the entire poem a completely different meaning… a sizzling and spicy meaning.” (03:18, Ó Tuama)

• On blushing over poetry’s double entendre:

  “I keep on tripping over it, perhaps cause I’m blushing on the radio.” (06:23, Ó Tuama)

• On poetry’s musical emotion:

  “Often I think that the vowel sounds of a poem communicate something of its music, but also of its emotional capacity…” (07:40, Ó Tuama)

• On poetic allusion and women's voices:

  “There’s a wink to older poetry, poetry from women that had been discounted.” (08:30, Ó Tuama)

• On multiple truths in language:

  “Language can reveal what seems to be hidden and that in a certain sense that language is the presentation of what it is, the multiple layers that it contains and that many things can exist in one place." (11:10, Ó Tuama)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• 00:02: Introduction; anecdote about LOL and language ambiguity
• 01:35: Reading of “LUVTOFU” by Harryette Mullen
• 02:53: Breakdown of double meaning (“love tofu” vs. “love to fu”)
• 04:12: Story of the Maine vegan and license plate
• 05:23: Exploration of rhyme, alliteration, sensuality in the poem
• 07:03: Discussion of intimacy and musicality of vowel sounds
• 08:30: Literary allusions (Barrett Browning, Audre Lorde)
• 09:40: Poetry as rule-breaking and Mullen’s craft
• 10:32: “Argue”—concluding twist
• 11:10: Reflection on multiplicity of meaning and language’s richness

Conclusion

This episode of Poetry Unbound dives deep into Harryette Mullen’s “LUVTOFU,” celebrating its clever double entendres, poetic craftsmanship, and its assertion that language (and love) can hold many truths at once. Ó Tuama’s engaging, playful, and thoughtful analysis opens up both the humor and the resonance found in an homage to tofu that is, just beneath the surface, a celebration of erotic possibility, poetic tradition, and the creative freedom of language itself.