Using erotic poetry to explore the intricacies of love, desire, and sexuality, author Raphael Rod Birney shows us how to overcome the straitlaced upbringing so many of us absorbed, to celebrate instead our own passionate existence and our joy in experiencing life as sensual beings. What began as a loving ode to his wife-whose own poems feature here as well-became a journey into the deepest realms of intimacy and connection for Raphael Rod Birney. One poem at a time, Birney discovered a path to integrating sexual aliveness and spirituality by uniting the realms of the five erotic languages with the art of sexual haiku. Building upon a long career in psychology and a deep interest in spiritual practice, Birney also draws dynamic inspiration from sources as disparate as Zen poems, the Old Testament Song of Songs, and the transcendent inner journeys of Eastern mysticism, as well as the philosophy of renowned sexologist Jaiya's Erotic Blueprints. More than simply provocative, Erotic Haiku is a lively. courageous bedside companion, a lovely exploration of what it means to celebrate freely the ecstasy of intimacy and desire.