Gratitude

Janelle-Curlin Taylor

November 9, 2022

"How will I recognize him?"  I asked.

I just showed up

No appointment, no referral

The most famous mycologist on the West Coast.

"Just look for Eisenhower"

The Registrar said.

World authority on the genus Boletus

"A manly mushroom" he liked to say.

A small Texan in the 

Strange state of California

What compelled me to come

I knew nothing about fungi.

Possessing only a liberal arts degree

In the Dramatic Arts

I had survived Microbiology

What else could I do?

Bounding up the stairs

With a smile as big as Texas

The Eisenhower look alike

Then I mispronounced his name.

An hour later, closeted in the pungent herbarium

"Tiny little" identifying 

Our shared Texas roots

We were the best of friends.

A scribbled message

On the back of an envelope

Carried to the Registrar

And I was admitted.

Jack Daniels and Gold Fish

Endless hours in the lab

Field trips that drew the cream

Of Mycologists: Michigan, Sweden, Germany.

At national meetings we were called

The San Francisco Mafia

Opportunities I never imagined

Mushroomed from this unlikely encounter.

The gift of a talented Texas teacher.

Janelle Curlin-Taylor is a native Texan, actress, mycologist, therapist, minister, and poet. She is married to California poet Jeffrey Taylor.