At dawn
the pale horseman arrives
in silence
through the fields
dragging in its shadow
demons and brutes,
and as death
it smothers
with sickness and sword
the morning mirth
of bedrooms and kitchens,
and In its wake
corpses are left
to later be swallowed
by meadows
in the name of a law
that never was fair.
Today we go ekphrastic with Melissa at dVerse who introduces us to the art of the South African artist Gerard Sekoto. Melissa has selected few of his painting and I selected the one above which I feel well my impression of both the book of revelation imagery and the South African history from the time.
April 21, 2026
Björn Rudbergs writings 
Nice job Björn! Ekphrastic poetry is one of my favorite forms to engage in. 😊👍
I hope you find some of the artworks engaging….
I wondered who would pick that painting, Björn, and I had an idea it might be you. I know you referred to the book of revelation South African history, but your opening lines reminded me of Clint Eastwood in Pale Rider. I love the darkness in the phrase ‘dragging in its shadow / demons and brutes’, and the sounds in these lines:
‘it smothers
with sickness and sword
the morning mirth’.
Thank you… it was a nice painting that fitted my style… and yes the pale rider movie (which I don’t think I ever saw) came up as a reference.
You’re most welcome, Björn. I’ve missed your poems.
A hard-hitting poem. I’m intrigued by what you see in the painting.