"And It Came About After the Death of Moses," poetry

First Edition: Published in Academic Exchange Extra (University of Northern Colorado [Greeley, CO]), 2010, March.

Revised Edition: LukivPress (Victoria, BC), 2022.

Introduction

Joshua, a historical narrative in 24 chapters (1473 to 1450 BCE ): The Israelites end their 40-year trek through the wilderness, miraculously cross the Jordan River dry-shod, and begin the formidable task of dispossessing Canaanites from their own territory. During about six years of warfare, 31 of their kings fall to the Israelite army under the relentless leadership of Joshua, whose example inspires faith and courage. He divides the conquered land amongst various tribes, reminds fellow Israelites that "not one word out of all the good words that Jehovah your God has spoken to you has failed," and dies at 110 years of age.

An excerpt

Chapter 7

At a table that transcends

The space between sunsets

Or dark moons,

And the distance between the

Demise of empires, like

Babylon that fell in one night

And Greece that chopped

Itself into four, imagine

Achan, lover of gold and fine

Clothes and his family who died

At his side, seated with leprous

Gehazi and Judas the metaphor

Who lost his intestines; listen

To them speak in hushed

Voices, hiding their wisdom

Under their tongues.

The author

Dan Lukiv, published in 19 countries, is a poet, novelist, columnist, short story and article writer, and independent education researcher (hermeneutic phenomenology). As a creative writer, he apprenticed with Canada's Professor Robert Harlow (recipient of the George Woodcock Achievement award for an outstanding literary career), the USA's Paul Bagdon (Spur Award finalist for Best Original Paperback), and England's D. M. Thomas (recipient of the Cheltenham Prize for Literature, Orwell Prize [biography], Los Angeles Fiction Prize, and Cholmondeley award for poetry). He attended The University of British Columbia (creative writing department), the acclaimed Humber School for Writers (poetry writing program), and Writer's Digest University (novel writing program).