A very close friend of mine was sent over to fight in a war. I never wanted him to be in the marines but he joined anyway.
When I wrote in the poem, "gazing back at me, freezing at his cold stare" is hinting that he is dead. And, it says next line about patience for his love because I was waiting impatiently for him to get back home. I was terrified that something would happen to him.
Then, when it says, "As I turn my back to the dead... I should have turned to hate instead..." I was saying that if he were to be another dead soldier on the ground, I wish I would have never loved him and hated him so it wouldn't have hurt at all for him to die.
But, the true inspiration was based upon a dream. I was standing in the middle of a war zone and his eyes were open staring at me but he was dead. I couldn't look at him because I was so mad and upset and I kept telling myself I had never loved him... but I knew that I did.