Jewel-bright juniper berries
dangled like azure fairies
amidst needles unfurled,
seeking the eyes of every bird.
Berries stayed sugar sweet
until fermenting was complete.
Early spring, greedy bluejays
fell down tipsy over two days,
leaving feathers ruffled aft.
How the crows laughed.
Copyright 2016 Brenda Davis Harsham
Note: Some birds actually eat too many fermented berries and behave badly. Once I discovered that, I just had to write a poem about it. I also ran across a hilarious video of African animals overindulging on Marula fruit. A more serious poem about juniper berries is here. Have a great week!
34 thoughts on “Juniper Jewels”
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Friendly Fairy Tales 
Do the birds really get drunk of Juniper berries?!! I don’t think I’ve even seen these berries in real life yet. And those poor animals – if only the fruit came with a use by date and alcohol warning!! 😀
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I have talked to people who’ve seen them falling-down drunk, and I’ve confirmed it with research. I did see a parrot once get drunk and fall right off his perch.
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I’ve never seen a drunk bird, that must be quite a sight! 🙂
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It certainly made everyone laugh. Poor bird.
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I cut some put then in a vase and they are still green from Christmas. Beautiful poem.
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And humans put it in gin and join the jays… 🙂
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Party like a bluejay! LOL
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They leave a lot of blue poop around, too! But I love the birds so a little berry droppings don’t bother me.
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Nice detail! LOL Probably is good fertilizer, too.
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Reblogged this on By the Mighty Mumford and commented:
OOOH, NICE JEWELS!!!!! 😀
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Nobody wears them like Mother Nature!
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OH…! 🙂
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And the deer love them too!
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I wonder if the deer have trouble in Spring, too. I’ve never heard that they do. It’s an interesting thought, though. 🙂
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In New Hampshire where I used to live there was an over abundance of them with no natural predators anymore. So I guess they may suffer in particularly bad years 😕
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I thought there were bear in NH. In fact, I’m sure I saw a bear once. I suppose the deer vastly outnumber the bear, though. It’s not a bad year this year. So far!
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Yes, when I was there it wasn’t uncommon to see them crossing the street or in a back yard. They always advised taking down feeders in the spring because of the bear but many folks wouldn’t and would have visitors! 😊
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You can’t feed birds? Bear eat the seeds, too? I thought it was just squirrels.
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Heck no! They are notorious for tearing down feeders 😄
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I can’t say I’d like living too near the bears. My friend had one come on her porch in CT, so I know they must wander down through New England occasionally.
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They are pretty frequent visitors in southern NH!
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The birds have their juniper berries, and I must rely on my Black Russian Fridays.
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How very elegant it sounds. I’ll have to try a Black Russian on a Friday one day soon.
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PS- Maybe you should start a DARE program for your birds? Even though the prevention stats aren’t very good, it couldn’t hurt…….
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LOL Finding the right facilitator that speaks the language might be a trick.
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Wow! I grew up around a lot of junipers and never knew it made birds drunk, just like those berries in Africa that make all the critters drunk. Of course blue jays crows are always laughing, even if they are not drunk, but I bet they do it even more when drunk. I think you should teach your critters Juniper Berry moderation. My Holler critters would NEVER behave like this. Drunk and disorderly? Heavens no! They are perpetually disorderly without even a bit of Juniper berry.
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LOL Other berries do the job, too. I think the berries would be sour to us, but the birds seems to like them. As for moderation, that’s a lesson a lot of us Americans could learn. 😉
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This is so absolutely delightful, Brenda. I love the blue jays and the laughing crows. Just wonderful.
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I was due for some humor. I’m glad it sounded that note with you. I can see it all in my mind’s eye. 🙂
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I was trying to picture how juniper berries would taste and it makes my mouth wrinkle and my nose crinkle with the pungent evergreen smell which probably permeates the berries. Birds getting “punch drunk” on juniper berries makes me giggle, Brenda! I like your pretty beginning words. I will check out the serious poem now, I think I may have read it once awhile ago. . . Have a lovely week ahead. 🙂
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I think they would taste bad, too. I believe they are essential to making gin. LOL So the birds like gin, too. Perhaps that’s where cocktail came from. LOL
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They do look beautiful, and, yes, my thoughts went straight to gin as well and imagining the birds enjoying their gin on the wing.
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I remember Eliza Dolittle rhapsodizing on gin and her aunt: “It was mother’s milk to her.” LOL
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LOL!
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