Haiku of the Day Theme for March 2026: Oceans

Who has not sat by the sea and wondered at its vastness and unceasing motion? About 71% of the Earth’s face is covered by water, mostly in its oceans. Near the sea’s surface and down deep, ever-flowing arteries form and re-form into gulf streams, gyres, oscillations, eddies, rips, upwellings, throughflows, jets, and drift currents. On shore, a tang of ozone and piled wrack, salty-tasting lips, tidal pools, terns tilting into the sea breeze, scurry of crabs on rocky platforms.

In summertime, our little estuary lagoon bobs with children, kayaks, and paddle-boards. On dry sand above the tideline, blue-and-white-striped cabanas sprout. Parents shelter from the sun, alert in case a toddler chases her floating bucket into too-deep water. Come winter, the inlet is given back to ghost crabs, moon shells, and royal spoonbills.

Lakes and rivers hold many hearts captive. My happy place is the seaside. I live close to mountains but head coastward whenever I can, hence my theme for Haiku of the Day. Finding haiku about oceans in different seasons and moods has been pure pleasure. I hope readers will enjoy this month’s trip to the sea as much as I enjoyed selecting the poems. My special thanks goes to the featured poets for all their ways of seeing.

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.

– Marietta McGregor