THE FIRST TIME LAST

If you could make the first time last
It would help you forget the past
Would ease the pain, like a new refrain
Calm the soul help make you whole.

To do it right the first time
takes a gentle fight in tune and in line
Brave and firm, serene and strong
Sympathetic wit and tumultuous charm
If you do it all right you'll feel the harm
Your perfect play will be your last
Taken for practised performance
Your life's achievements rewarded by insults.

But in a while you'll feel much better
Having been the artful loser
A far cry better than a funny fibber
It's sad how life can be so mean
Your first meet's often the last time seen.

Copyright © Jacques Gauvin