From the day
Perspective: The Street Photographer · Tactile
The pier reeked of salt and iodine as the *Mercy* docked, her gangplank rattling under the weight of stretchers carrying boys with pinned-up sleeves and rough wool uniforms. I adjusted my bellows to capture a quick snapshot of a soldier clutching a set of notched redwood Lincoln Logs; his hands, calloused and shaking, traced the smooth timber of the toy as if it were the only solid thing left in a world rendered in grey. Nearby, a delivery driver leaned against his Ford, spitting into the slush while grumbling about paying $0.15 for a single gallon of gas just to sit in this harbor traffic. I ignored his grousing, focusing instead on the brassy glare of the Police Glee Club’s instruments and the way the bitter winter wind whipped through the crowd’s heavy serge coats.