I went and buried her beloved

I set a watchful eye on this ravaged valley
while in a tent by the river, she gets some rest.
I buried her love somewhere in those hills
and now I keep my own close to my chest.

I’m ashamed to say that it healed me
after a lifetime of making myself small for men.
With a gun in my hand, and a person to protect,
I’ve got a reason to be strong again.

By no means should she have to stay,
but there remains nowhere else to go.
And I love her even as she cries,
and even if she will never know.