This year, I had to put up a better fence,
remembering loud and clear the time
and effort spent trying to get berries,
but the birds got them before we could.
The second year, my granddaughters and I
gathered handfuls of smooth pebbles,
painted them all bright red
with little green stems,
scattering them like Easter eggs,
throughout the berry bed.
The stones might have fooled some of the birds
but it didn’t fool any of the rabbits.
That was the year baby bunnies appeared
and before we knew it, they had eaten
every last strawberry, so juicy and dear,
then nibbled each plant down to the nub.
We hoped the third time would be charmed
and we put in twice as many plants.
We also bought a trusty, rabbit-proof fence
and installed it all around the perimeter.
The painted stones had faded by then;
still, we harvested quite a few berries.
But next year, we’ll repaint the stones,
and hope for even more juicy-sweet goodness.