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.