‘Between the First and Second Dose’

The ache of that long-sought jab 
in the upper arm has faded,
leaving behind the vertigo of hope.

Now, an interim alliance
between patience and next week,
daydreams of hosting friends

in a living room with windows
shut, and music made by human beings
sweating on their guitar strings.

Is it time to begin discarding caution?
The almost forgotten things of this world 
hove once more into our ken —

the violet glow of the coast 
at sunset, the scent of jasmine 
blooming in a neighbor’s yard.