From the day
Perspective: The Future Historian · Tactile
The stiff, unwashed linen of my high-collared shirt chafes against my neck as I watch the Great White Fleet sailors reveling in Sydney’s winter sun. My word, the tension of this "hospitality" is palpable, hidden beneath the slick, waxed finish of the Rook cards we obsessively shuffle between world-altering toasts. Nearby, a phonograph scratches out the tinny, sentimental strains of *Shine On, Harvest Moon*, its melody clinging to the crisp air. I find myself tracing the crinkled edges of a new cellophane wrapper, marveling at a material that will one day outlive the very empires these men are currently toastng.