For Better or Worse

For better or worse, for rich or for poor

My husband has delivered on the rich part

But the better, I'm not sure

And then to learn my soldier has returned

It's a blessing and a curse

Is it for better or for worse?

To have and to hold, 'til death do us part

So certain that my soldier had been lost

And with him half my heart

I spoke those words to gain security

It was maybe a mistake

And the only choice to make

And so I built a home beyond my childhood dreams

I built the perfect place to stay

Locked away

For better or worse, when we came out east

I learned that it is not what feels the best

It is what will hurt the least

When I thought that I might start again

Got the thought out of my head

Had a child with him instead

I knew I had to I built a home

And make it last

And fill it up with all the reasons

Not to think about the past

We danced with those soldiers like they were ghosts

We kissed them with unspoken last goodbyes

So certain that they were gone

We mourned them and then moved on

Hoping half a heart's enough to build upon

For better or worse, my vows have been made

I'm smart enough to know

That I'd lose everything if I ever strayed

All the while my husband has his fun

And the roles are not reversed

It's for the better and the worst

A melody drifting across the bay

A song of a summer from long ago

A chorus that amplifies

Every last compromise

What good comes from knowing that he survived?

What good comes from knowing what he became?

To know there's an open door

Where there wasn't one before

And I wonder what he'd do

If I walked through