The Lovers' Vow Poem by Lotte Ahmad

Hold my hand.
Secure my vulnerability in the tightness of your protective fist.
Like even if the world around us came crumbling down,
you would not let it go for a way out of your misery.
Pat it, when disappointment announces her presence in our lives.
Squeeze it, when doubt flows by like an unheralded spring-
making its way in empty,
and leaving with everything we've worked so hard to build.
Caress it, when sorrow becomes our provided daily bread;
When the pain doesn't seem to ever stop,
and the rest of the world tells us that we've been through too much
to even think of holding on.
In the highs and lows of the life that we're bound to have together,
don't let go of this hand,
for it depends on you for strength and encouragement.
It leans on you for support and loving care.
Don't leave it to go chasing after the wind,
or get tired of having to be its anchor because my burden only adds to your own.
It may seem easier to stand alone,
but 'two are better than one' declared the Wisest Man,
'For if one stumbles, the other will help him up.'
Promise to help me up when I stumble,
to be my berth, my home and my abode;
to be a pillar of fortitude to keep me standing when I have no will left to fight.
Promise to stand by me when others leave-
a fixture by my side through the sunshine, hail and blizzards of life.
I promise to be and do the same and much more for you,
even if you never promise to do so too.