Readings | XIII Death

XIII

Death

Ending, conclusion, transition, passage, departure

Upright: Bringing an unpleasant phase of life to an end. Recognizing and celebrating the conclusion of something. Putting bad habits to rest. Becoming a new person. Leaving one person, place, or thing for another. Letting go.

The Drummer Boy of Shiloh

(1960)

From the earliest history, the sound of the drum has been an important part of many histories, many cultures. Drummer boys were often the voices of their generals to the troops, a signaling to march or to charge.  In this story, the drummer boy is a runaway and the setting is the night before the battle of Shiloh.  He is met with The General (no indication is given for which side) as the man moves through his very green, scared and yet eager troops.  He finds the boy and discusses war and battle with him.  There are hinted reminders of Henry the Fifth in his conversation.  This illustration is designed to show the ghosts of war and how they wait for the next to fall.

This piece is available for licensing. 

"He lay next to it, his arm around it, feeling the tremor, the touch, the muted thunder, as all of the rest of the April night fell as peach blossoms on his drum."