Ode to a Gene

O where, o where are you my little gene?

We know you're there but just can't be seen.

Your place in this quest can soon be realized

if you just appear and be polymerized.

The taq is fresh and the primers are in,

appear before us, O beta-tubulin.

Come Heather, Come Al and Walter too.

Come Jasmine and Allison our gene we pursue.

May the gods be generous with their UV light

so we can sequence our endophyte.

We search and we probe with isotopes so hot,

while Portia and Jinghong try Southern Blot.

We long for your sequence in our parsimony tree,

for Dr. Schardl to complete his phylogeny.

Sexual or asexual, it matters not to me

for you are a gift from the Great Epichloe.

We will not forsake you for your sporulation.

We just need to know your mating population.

O where, o where are you my little gene?

We know you're there but just can't be seen.

---Stephen Holthaus

1997