This is a poem I wrote in response to the passage "How to Tell a True War Story" from the book The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien. Enjoy! It's my first poem...


War Stories

The stories can be real,
They can be fictitious,
There is no real way to tell what your hearing.
Let the story create.

Some details are outrageous,
Some are very ordinary,
Some involve things only a child could imagine,
Some sound like things from another world.
Let the story create.

They can cause you to feel moments of true joy.
They can cause moments of pure hate.
Let the story create.

These are the stories of our veterans.
Some will sound so outrageous
It could only be make believe.
Some will create images you will never forget.

These stories need to be told.
Let them create.