The Poetry Well is a monthly column that showcases island poetry. This month includes a poem by Tanner Venturi.

Evening Ballad

I scribble through the blood red dusk,

eyes clouded by swirling smoke,

contemplating my place on this earth,

and the place of everything else.

I listen to the ballads of old school bohemians

drifting away with the sounds of boat oars

to a sad musician.

I ponder the timeless ability to enjoy life

and celebrate love, while sinking deeper

and deeper down into the folds of this heaven.

I watch the footprints of all those before me,

wash away with the recession

of icy waves, as I walk backwards

into the wilderness.

I’m tormented by the thought

that one day all of this is for naught,

as our eyes close or open for the last time.

I’m looking for this wild summer

sunset, only seen once or twice before,

to enjoy, as I sink down below the surface.