at the beginning
no winning

your kisses like addictive nectar
your golden scepter

love was green and soft dreams
and schemes

your early face a roman God
you nod

and I your pliant playground
round and round

but your eyes oh how they wandered
trust squandered

and soon enough all of you followed
left hollowed

and me, alone, to begin anew
never needed you

Copyright ©2026 Lisa Paul. All rights reserved.

This is my first attempt at an Echo Poem, so I hope I have submitted something acceptable. This is written in response to:
Our W³ challenge

1. Write an echo poem about a first — first love, first heartbreak, first bike ride, first apartment, first snowfall, first pet, first anything that mattered.
2. Show us how you felt — excited, embarrassed, afraid, proud, uncertain.
3. Include at least one variation of one of these words:
   • Early (earlier, earliest)
   • Begin (beginning, began, begun, begins)
   • Primary (primarily, primaries)
   • Start (start, started, starting, starts)

W3 Prompt #201: Wea’ve Written Weekly