The speaker looks back at a time when life felt plain and nourishing, and thinking was something to savor slowly, like a good aged cheese. Words were so central that they could stand in for a meal. The tone is wistful, with a quiet humor in the oddness of the comparisons.
The second stanza turns inward. The Way, a word that often suggests a spiritual path, has no road here. Nothing is mapped out. There is only the speaker, head in hands, which could mean worry, deep thought, or simply being alone with oneself. The title, "The true people," suggests the poem is imagining a more authentic way of living, though the poem never says exactly who these people are.
The last image is the warmest: two wings joined, a "contract with the present." It suggests a pairing or a pledge to live fully in the moment, without needing a path. The mood is calm, reflective, and gently hopeful.