Monday, December 15, 2008







Incarnation
8-2002


Who knows the eyes of the all-mall-ball,
The sight of a quillion minnows zigging at the sun,
her tongue splitting in a trillion forks,
or
twittering with song?

Who knows the taste of the all-mall-ball--
the diatoms and dates,
the grippy grass and rancid flesh?--
Her voice, a quadul-gum of cricket sound and shriek and speak and breaking glass.

Who knows the hear of the all-mall-ear
These desperate cries and sparking brains
with pierce of train, and trilling prayer?
Who knows the hair of all the hares in the world
and the scale of the fish at once?

I am a son of the all mall ball,
one of many made under EYE
and bound in place--
But given to a shrapnel soul
that likes to ride behind the eyes:

Twisting up- I find my lips pulled taunt with flapping plates
or stretched like hinge from eye to eye,
the fringe of baleen as I sweep,
or snapped back like a bear-trap--
voice cracking to the splendor of descending worm.

Oh I am a mouth with chomping crowns...
bloody sabers draped in deer,
I feel the sear of hot blood in my eye
I roar

I feel the weight of heavy pads,
the feline breath and nail--
I ride the racing nerves until I break
into the fountain of the vulture dance,
and “Aren't you beautiful my love
with bobbing bald and warts and
carrion perfume about your wings.”

I sing the song of morning from the line,
then walk it with flicking tail,
I twine with your like-silky throat,
and find pleasure in your snakey eye.

I am dragonfly amidst cat-tail trees;
darting in shatter-realm of stalk and dock...
I am belly taut with life and kicking hooves,
I feel it move,
but have no thought to tell you how it feels,
I hold a thousand guppies in my gut
and the webbing of the silk-worm net.

I am dolphin dipping joy,
punching through the thick n’ thin, l
aughing at the lemon sky.

I am the queen of nature
(born of her but giving birth
to all that gives us life)
Mother of an ancient “Son”,
building underneath my lungs
and soon the ONE of whom the mall-ball sings
(or twists within),
will find
the master of our liberation
walking in our eyes.

.

Note: This very weird poem is (among other things) a reflection on the omniscience of God. What I might try with imagination --living through the eyes of other beasts or men (or Mary in the last verse) –-is a world that God knows in its absolute fullness. He sees from every place, all at once and all the time. No thing is hidden from his eye. All things belong to Him. And we shall behold Him.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Next to the last rose



Not sure if this really is the next to the last rose, but I sure am surprised to see any in mid November. (This one at home appears to be the last, but they still have quite a few in the garden at work.)

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Monday, November 17, 2008

Maple Force


Can you identify these leaves? Check out ID ARkansas for a slew of new fall color posts, with more in the wings.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

The Golden Hour















AR State Capitol , 11/07/ 2007

These photos are taken on the "front porch" of Arkansas, where big columns and big stairs frame big brass doors, which in turn, open to the second floor of the Capitol. (Truth is, the doors are seldom opened. Since 911 visitors are asked to enter under the stairs, except for special occasions.)
As is, all pictures were taken in a span from about 7:30 and 7:45 AM when the rising sun established a kind of echoing light harmonic with the doors.

Friday, November 7, 2008

Color Wheel















Fall at the Arkansas State Capitol.

All pics, November 3-6, 2008, Little Rock AR (c) by Kirk Jordan



These last few days have just been off of the charts in terms of radiant color, blister blue skies, and a singing heart. Its a funny thing and all, given that share a political philosophy at variance with our new president-elect. The Bible gives some interesting advice to followers of Christ. It says that we should weep with those who weep, and rejoice with those who rejoice. But what do you when the weeping or rejoicing among those who call upon God is caused by the same event?

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Bonus points.

See if you can spot "another" moon, beyond the obvious one in second-to-last frame. Its a very tiny moon.




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Face Book. I have finally done it. I have joined the face-full hordes who communicate in one sentence drivel with an exploding networks of friends. (At least now I can see what my kids are doing -- sorta.) If you should like to be my friend and are on Facebook, just send a message to Kirk Stephen Jordan from Conway. It may take me a bit to add anything of substance.


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The Mighty Works project exists to praise God for the draining of the world. (If life and color were not at times drained from verdant things, we should not know of their hidden glories.)



Addendum: The little moon was supposed to be in the picture of the Capitol dome, with Red Maple leaves... just to the right of the dome. (Its hard to see in the blog version) However, the ever clever Steve Johnson spotted this moon in the same frame as the first moon!





Rose bowl




I know they use real roses in the Rose Bowl in California, but I guess I am just surprised to see a rose this lovely in early November in AR. 11/4/2008

Monday, October 20, 2008

Living in the Monet

























For me, a landscape does not exist in its own right, since its appearance changes at every moment; but the surrounding atmosphere brings it to life - the light and the air which vary continually. For me, it is only the surrounding atmosphere which gives subjects their true value.

Claude Monet


Water Lilies/Lotus flower by Yahweh
capture by Kirk Jordan


All pics 10/18/2008 Little Rock, AR


One of the bad things about Photoshop is that no one believes the unbelievable anymore. While I did slightly boost the contrast in some of these images, the colors seen by eye really were extraordinary. (The lilies, largely in blue shadow light, were being counter lit by refection bouncing off a very warm building. Two light "temperatures" in collision make for extra vibrancy.


Bonus Works:

An excerpt from the journal of the Kirk (89?)

And this is odd. This multi-hued world, seems more that the "All" world to me. I am, right now, sitting on the back porch underneath our towering oak, eating macaroni shell noodles with butter and A-1 Sauce. The sauce is drinking in light, but also the shells. They look almost white. But hold them against real white and we see them like yellow teeth in a clown's mouth. So now - I hold them toward my face -- if nothing was held back -- if the shells did not drink in and mute the light -- they would be like mirrors on my fork. My macaroni would blind me. And then … I couldn’t see my hands. The world would be brighter than leprosy. Brighter than snow under sun. No room for shadow. Nor room for form…and the stuff about me would disappear into a blinding angel hue...white.

For the complete essay see: Life in the Minus World





Great Essay:

Given the nature and goal of the Mighty Works Project (that people might both see and delight in the Mighty Works of God) I generally avoid direct political discourse. As is, I am a political creature and hold political views that lend themselves to a certain political posture. Even so, I have been experiencing some political dissonance this season as I see how our political parties behave. Steve Johnson, friend of mine (and the best man at my wedding) has written an essay that mirrors some of my own thoughts about the political process. Its a tad long, but worth the time of any thoughtful person.

If you have any difficulties with his thoughts, leave them on his blog, not mine :)

Thinking Out Loud




The Mighty Works Project exists to affirm, just as the atmosphere give value to objects, so does the light of Gods life give value to the human soul. Or something like that.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Close Encounter











I wonder what the Mantis sees
as he peers at me:
a thousand angel-apes with oculars
shattered on the sky

or does his micro brain combine
the honeycomb
till I am only eye
spread from sea to sea

.



All pics (c) by Kirk Jordan
taken in Conway AR, mid September.

Bonus Link: today as I loaded the blog version of the Mighty Works Project, I noticed that a recently published Mighty Works photo was picked up by Earth Shots. I've submitted a least half a dozen pictures to this daily world "contest" but this is my first picture to be picked. I'm thrilled.
.

http://www.earthshots.org/2008/10/icarus-by-kirk-jordan/

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The Mighty Works project exists to invite all persons everywhere to join the Mantis in sustained continual prayer.