The poem reads like a set of quiet instructions to oneself about desire. The speaker tells a kiss to hold off "till further orders," as if longing were a soldier that needs to be kept in check. The second stanza warns that anyone who arrives full of hope, and nothing else, risks ruin. Hope on its own can wreck you.
The turn comes in the third stanza, where grief isn't something to bury but something to "put to work loving." That suggests the speaker's sadness, or sense of loss, can be turned into tenderness rather than bitterness. The last image is the hardest to pin down. A cook's conquest of the eyes seems to be about winning someone over through what they see, perhaps the way food is made to look appealing before it is tasted. Judging by the imagery, that's a picture of patient, careful offering.
The mood is restrained and a little wry. There's ache under the control, but also a calm sense that waiting can be a form of care.