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.
nice one
much love
Interesting
Your poem describes the circumstances of which the painting speak well. The bleak environment, the transparency of the rider, the dark form lunging at them speaks of death and destruction.
Thank you… it was written from my perception of that time when all I had was stories from South Africa.
Now I’m curious. How can it be you only had stories from South Africa? When was that?
I grew up in the 70s and when I say stories I meant what was in the news.
Those years the rest of the world got more news than we did due to censoring.
i like the image of smothering morning mirth. well i don’t like that, but it’s a great poetic image
in the name of a law that never was fair
Often true in olden days when it was meted out according to the lawman’s fancy. Love your write Bjorn!
Hank
The backstory or analysis of this painting is disturbing as were the times. Your poem is such a powerful summary of those “demons and brutes”. Nice to have you back, sir. 🙂
Nice poem Bjorn. It really goes well with the imagery of the picture and the time period.
Great piece of writing Björn – I chose the same painting it’s quite mesmerising 💕
What a fitting interpretation of the painting, Bjorn. Very creative work.
A bald and strong conveyance of the scene at the battles within – Jae
There is a definite darkness in these paintings and this one more than the others, hinting at the ‘demons and brutes’. The painting is quite confusing to me – much like unfair laws and treatment of other humans.
Great write Björn 👏
You captured the tone, the feel of that time beautifully. It was fascinating reading more descriptions of the art he produced. You poem is perfect.
“dragging demons and brutes” makes me think of ICE.
You picked a wonderful painting!