You can’t truly hear

and remain untouched.

You can’t truly think

and remain unaltered.

                             Shellen Lubin

Hi dVerse regulars and newcomers!

It is Monday and not just any Monday but Quadrille Monday!!

Before we jump into today’s challenge, here’s an announcement about the dVerse Anthology. You can be a part of it!

Call for Poetry Submissions: Krisis: Poetry at the Crossroads (Working Title)

In celebration of our 15th anniversary in 2026, dVerse Poets Pub invites poets from around the globe to contribute to our upcoming anthology, Krisis: Poetry at the Crossroads. Rooted in the Greek word krisis, meaning a pivotal decision point, we seek poems that explore moments of transformation, choice, and change.​

Submission Period: April 1, 2025 – June 30, 2025​

Full details here. https://dversepoets.com/coming-soon-2026-anthology/

Okay, what if I tell you we are planning to alter the rules of the most loved prompt? What if we give you an alternative to the 44 words limit?

Halter your horses, ladies and gentlemen! There can be absolutely no alternative to our beloved Quadrille! Let’s not get into any altercation here. That was just my alter ego having some fun.

Alter Ego

Rebel Temptation

Dark secrets.
Darker versions of ourselves.
Deeds that no one else sees, we all have them.
Sweet temptations that you are too afraid of saying aloud.
That is why we have our friend, alter ego, he is not a phony.

As you must have guessed, today’s challenge is to write a poem of exactly 44 words (don’t falter on the word count) including the word alter in it. You can use any word that has alter in it. No form restrictions, no syllable counting, no strict rule for rhyming. The only thing that remains unalterable is the the 44 word rule (excluding the title). So dip your quills in the inkwell, poise your pen over paper, flex your fingers on the keyboard and share with us a poem that will alter our perceptions, future, history or maybe not! But most importantly, have fun.

Sonnet 116

William Shakespeare

Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments; love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove.

“Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months.“

Oscar Wilde

For all those who are new to dVerse

1. Please write a poem of exactly 44 words including the word “alter” on you blog.

2. Link back to this post.

3. Leave the link of your post (not your blog) at Mr. Linky so that your post is easily accessible to other participants.

4. As a courtesy please come back and read other posts. We are here to interact with others.

5. Mr. Linky will close on 3.00 pm on Saturday.