Erika, steadfast harbor of my soul,
Though storm-tossed seas between our shores may roll,
No sounding depth, no patient drift of years
Can dim the lamp that steadies me through tears.
Through every tide that rose, through shifting sand,
Across the miles, I still have felt your hand.
Those six brief months beneath one generous sky,
Before I crossed the sea to say “I do,”
Drew heart to heart what distance could not part;
They live within me, luminous and true.
I keep our laughter like a flame at night,
Our easy joy, our days of sheer delight.
When youth’s bright spring gave way to solemn rings,
We learned the fragile grace that marriage brings;
Then shadows gathered, and the timbers broke –
Your vows dissolved beneath a sorrowed cloak.
And when my husband slipped beyond this shore,
You met my grief and asked for nothing more.
Through valleys dark, where loss had veiled the sun,
You walked beside me till the tears could run.
No distance frays the bond our hearts have spun,
A golden thread through every moon and sun.
My constant North, my sister, and my guide,
Forever best friend, walking by my side.
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