Teach Me to Love Botany

By Barbara Sorensen Stoutner

Teach me that in mitosis there are two
replications of chromosomes and in
meiosis only one.
Teach me that there is secondary growth
in dicotyledons but not in monocotyledons
because monocotyledons do
not have cambia.
Teach me that I can get a grade symbolizing
a knowledge of botany if I study two
hours out of class for every hour in.
Teach me that if I endure the semester,
I can graduate and never have to know
about botany.

Teach me to marvel at the intricate
difference between meiosis and mitosis.
Teach me to wonder in awe how a majestic
tree developed from a tiny seed
containing two cotyledons.
Teach me to know in humility that all of
the textbooks of men cannot reveal
the secrets contained in a tiny
blade of grass.
Teach me to love botany, and a lifetime’s
search for knowledge will not be able
to quench the thirst you created.