Winter's Cheese

I rose around midday, finding the sky bright and the air mild and calm. I rode my bike with an almost-flat front tire to where I'll be minding four friendly cats for a few nights, then I walked home through the near'empty streets. This being Christmas Day and me without human company, I brought out my special food, which I've been saving for a special occasion.

All of what you see came to me from my sweetheart. She had the board crafted just for her man, and carved with the Welsh word for cheese. She chose, from among all the cheese cutters in the world, the one that speaks best of my daily life. The cheese is tangy and delicate, of a type that cannot be found where I live at any price. Its taste reminds me of when we'd arrive back in her kitchen after walking for miles on the windy cliffs along the Irish Sea. We would have a snack of cheese as our thoughts wandered over the world and through long tunnels of time.

That's where my heart is on this Christmas Day.