The Amazing Idea of You

A curious, active child with rosy cheeks and a chin-length bob plants an apple seed: “Hidden in this apple/ is the idea of a tree/ wrapped tight/ in this shiny seed.” Animals and other natural objects are growing and becoming, too: a bird in an egg; a tadpole becoming a frog; and a caterpillar metamorphosing. “Even those waddling goslings hold the dream of whistling flight over lake and field.” The girl also holds amazing potential: “And look at you!/ What ideas are hidden/ inside of you?” In Lundquist’s clear, airy art, the child grows older, planting new apple trees as a young adult. At last, she picnics with her own children in the orchard she has grown: “All around are apples... And every last one/ has an idea inside./ Just like you.” Ages 3–6.[em] (Feb.) [/em]