Lately I've been indulging myself by reading short stories. Because I'm a writer, I enjoy studying shorter pieces that allow me to ponder the craft of other authors. One story has stayed with me, first for its literary style, but also because of its unique ways of examining the human responses to violence.

"The Things They Carried," by Tim O'Brien, can be found in a collection of stories under the same title. Every story is excellent, but the title story is poetry in prose form sensitively describing the longings of soldiers during the Vietnam War era.

The story begins on a simple premise, outlining the material things that all troops carry, but the uniqueness of every soldier is also revealed as we discover what each carried for his emotional survival. The story progresses from practical, necessary objects, like pocket-knives and mosquito repellent, to the need to hold onto the memories of home. We learn about the environment the soldiers are forced to cope with, the risks of a landscape filled with mines, the cold nights and hot days, and finally about the fear everyone must carry because death can suddenly come out of nowhere. It is a beautiful testament to the ugliness and uncertainty of war.