A stitch in time, or: A rengay

My thanks to David, of “The Skeptic’s Kaddish,” for inviting me into this rengay. It was a pleasure to weave our lines together and watch the threads find their own shape.
>> https://skepticskaddish.com/2026/02/23/a-stitch-in-time-or-a-rengay/



A two-person ‘Rengay’

A stitch in time, or: A rengay

By Ivor and David

1 (db)
weeks before Purim—
sticky glue smears small fingers,
needles pull bright threads

2 (is)
intricate puppet costumes
tangled in the maker’s strings

3 (db)
small gnat in a web
silver threads keep their design—
the body trembles

4 (is)
the wood manikins
loose joints suddenly collapse
first aid kit required

5 (db)
eight waiting legs lose purchase
their radial craft undone

6 (is)
unfashionable 
staples, glue guns, costume pins 
become quick-fix threads





A little Purim mischief to echo the threads and tangled costumes of our rengay.




Ivor Steven ©  February 2026

Beasts’ feast; Famine’s rations, or: A rengay

A big thank you to David, of “The Sheptics Kaddish” for inviting me to co-write a “Rengay.” I cannot remember having written a collaborative poem before, but it was so much fun to mix words with such an accomplished writer.
>> https://skepticskaddish.com/2025/10/02/beasts-feast-famines-rations-or-a-rengay/


A two-person ‘Rengay’

By Ivor and David


Beasts’ feast; Famine’s rations, or: A rengay

(Ivor)
i’ve no appetite
to be the new King’s taster
bad seeds don’t regrow

(David)
little princeling muffles heave
spits foie gras into goblet

(Ivor)
royalty’s snobbish ways
are wasted and inconsequential
to hungry grazers days

(David)
pastures lie barren
herders curse the banquet hall
torches flare outside

(Ivor)
the underworld cries
darkness falls on vacant eyes

(David)
pomegranate blood
stains her lips with endless oath
frost devours the bloom






Ivor Steven ©  October 2025