Sexy-ku

Reading Blyth's wonderful haiku series, ordered so nicely by theme, I recall the one subject that the books are lean on is sex/eros -- besides the famous one about burning smoke to keep the mosquitos away. Not sure who wrote that one. I imagine there are more than I remember, but in general I think bugs, weather, landscape, etc., get far more ink. As they should, being time honored themes of the haiku tradition. That said, I was happy to come across this book.

Reading through much of the Ameri-ku that gets into print, sex is a frequent theme. Jane Reichold has many available online. I did read the collection below by Chiyo-ni a while back and recall that it had many very sensuous haiku.

I have tried to write my fair share of haiku on sexual themes. One or two turned out. When I save up a few pennies I think I'll order the Erotic Haiku book and try a few more. If I had the heart of Rexroth I might write long erotic poems, but I am into understatement where sexuality is concerned. Haiku fit my libido just fine.


Here are a few that I found in a review of Erotic Haiku:

darkness
doing nothing
but feel
— Stanley Pelter


Without clothes
it's a different
conversation
— John Brandi

she leaves —
a curled hair
in my soap
— David Walker

on the car seat beside me
the sun
light on her thighs
— James Tipton

memories
lingering
on these finger
tips

— Giovanni Malito