Erotic Haiku: Of Skin On Skin
edited by George Swede and Terry Ann Carter
The meaning of “erotic” varies greatly among the contributors to Erotic Haiku: Of Skin On Skin. To many, it conjures actual intercourse—foreplay, climax and an array of emotions afterwards. For others, it is linked only tangentially to the sexual act: watching a bee enter a flower, recalling a glance from another or the smell of someone’s hair or skin smooth to the touch or a whisper in one’s ear or the taste of something sweet on a lover’s tongue. Finally, a few see the erotic in terms of humour through wordplay and unexpected juxtapositions. Such a broad spectrum of the erotic guarantees that all readers are sure to find something pleasing.

Haiku is a short form of poetry, capturing the essence of an experienced moment. The poems in this collection take a step further to focus on erotic moments in all their varieties. The earlier conception of a 5/7/5 structure has given way to a freer form; most haiku poets today agree that a haiku should consist of seventeen syllables (if there is no artificiality) or fewer. It is the moment, not the syllables, that matter.

Black Moss Press | April 2017 | 6 x 9 inches | 978-0-88753-577-2 | $17.98
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