Haiku of the Day Theme for January 2026: Compassion

As a lover of haiku, I always hope to find poems that raise the consciousness of the reader. Inspired by the great heart of kindness we have all witnessed, at one time or another, in nature, I chose compassion as my theme to set the tone for the beginning of this new year.

At twelve years old, I stood under a cherry tree, devouring the tart-sweet fruit beside a dozen small brown birds-also filling themselves so completely that they had to rest in the dewy grass for hours before finally taking to the sky.

I had just begun to understand that, at their best, the generous nature of all created beings-from fruit trees to eagles watching over their eggs in their nests-lives so perfectly in haiku that dwell in the present moment, as well as in that communal, interwoven, effecting and effected empathy for all our fellow seekers of sweetness-like the touch of the slightest wind, coming from somewhere on its way to somewhere.

We write and read poetry that we may see, pervading every created thing, our connectedness as the deepest truth in the universe.

The Haiku of the Day feature displays a new haiku each day at the top of our home page. See also our Haiku of the Day Archive.

– Deborah A. Bennett