The Turning

1

The tree had grown up outside their apartment window

as they had grown old. 

In spring and summer

its leathery roundish leaves muffled the sounds of the street. 

Before the leaves fell, they turned

silver on one side

and dark brown on the other. 

When the wind moved them they looked like hands applauding.

2

The woman died in the hospital diagonally across the street from their apartment. 

She came in winter

and when the first green leaves grew on the tree

they got her a new room so she could see it.

3

The man sat on the woman’s bed holding her hands as she died. 

She said she would go on ahead of him

and if it were safe

she would turn the leaves as a signal. 

He would see nothing but silver leaves.

4

He watched the tree. 

In fall a strong wind moved through it

turning many, but not all, of the leaves to the silver side. 

In late fall another wind swept the leaves from the tree. 

The wind was so strong it brought winter with it.

5

The leaves lay scattered on the ground over several blocks

each turned silver side up. 

From the high apartment window

the man watched the bare tree each day. 

He remembered a winter

when the woman had asked him

if he thought there would ever be leaves on that tree again. 

Watching the tree

the man missed the woman’s signal. 

6

If he had looked down to the street

if he had left the apartment

he would have seen the silver leaves.  

The man missed her signal.

7

When it was warm

new green leaves lay against his window. 

He opened the window

and the tip of the branch sprung inside. 

He pulled up a stool and held

the young leaves, moist and fragile

in both hands. 

8

He held the leaves

until they turned brown and silver

while the other leaves remained green. 

The turned leaves were silver side up. 

He thought he had killed them

by touching them too much. 

He pushed the branch outside again, shut the window. 

He had missed her signal.

9

The turned leaves pressed their silver sides against the window for months.  Then all the leaves fell. 

He had missed her signal.

10

In a winter dream

he put leaves back on the tree

knowing that it was a dream

and that the leaves would turn silver. 

They turned silver. 

Waking up, he recognized her signal

but reasoned that this was not the tree

but a dream about the tree

and not she, but he

who had turned the leaves silver.

11

He did not want to die.  He did not want to die. 

One day he had no choice, and died.

12

He had died very old and very weak. 

It was so difficult

to turn the leaves

to their silver sides

that he could do it only

once. 

13

A young couple moved into the vacant apartment. 

During a break from unpacking

they went to the window and saw the silver leaves. 

In each of the coming years

the tree would lose its leaves

grow them back

muffle the sounds from the street

turn silver and brown

lose its leaves. 

Neither of them would ever mention the time

when all the silver leaves had been turned toward them

but neither would forget it.

Mitch Berman