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To say it started with a kiss
is quite misleading and remiss,
and so these words I must retract,
it's quite the opposite in fact.

Take the answer now in mind
and think of that beguiling line
If it were true then, for the win,
strike the key used to begin.

This puzzle actually contains two answers and is self-referencing. You need an answer from the first verse to use in the second. The correct answer needs to explain the riddle and why it is correct. Happy puzzling!

HINT:

The obvious answer is a single letter
but the title tells you that you need to get meta.
To be accepted your answer must be
a detailed explanation, logically.

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  • 1
    $\begingroup$ Nice rhyming and meter! $\endgroup$
    – Chowzen
    Oct 9, 2018 at 14:29
  • $\begingroup$ I wouldn't normally answer my own puzzle but I get the feeling everybody lost interest after someone got the right answer without following the logic of the puzzle. Sorry if it was too weird, I actually thought it was too literal, if anything, so surprised nobody explained the logic. $\endgroup$
    – Astralbee
    Oct 24, 2018 at 15:32

2 Answers 2

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I'm probably missing something, but I feel like the answer might just be:

X

Specifically:

To say it started with a kiss

People sign letters with x x x's to represent kisses.

is quite misleading and remiss, / and so these words I must retract,

You can cut words (i.e. retract them) from text by using the keyboard shortcut CTRL+X.

it's quite the opposite in fact.

Cutting is fairly different from kissing...

Take the answer now in mind / and think of that beguiling line

Referring to the line: "X marks the spot".

If it were true then, for the win, strike the key used to begin.

X starts the phrase, so we strike the X key to answer.

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3
  • $\begingroup$ Last two lines hint at rot13(Jvaqbjf fgneg ohggba) ? $\endgroup$
    – Chowzen
    Oct 9, 2018 at 14:00
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    $\begingroup$ @Chowzen Not intentionally. Actually this riddle is best looked at in a linear fashion... you can certainly guess at the answer, but you won't understand a line fully unless you understand the ones that come before it. $\endgroup$
    – Astralbee
    Oct 9, 2018 at 14:23
  • $\begingroup$ The first part of your answer is part of the correct answer, if that makes sense. Your reasoning is not at all what I intended, and as this puzzle is self-referencing the reasoning is very important. I've added a clue now, I hope this helps. $\endgroup$
    – Astralbee
    Oct 11, 2018 at 11:53
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Verse 1:

To say it started with a kiss
is quite misleading and remiss,
and so these words I must retract,
it's quite the opposite in fact.

Answer:

So we're looking for something that doesn't start with a kiss - quite the opposite - it ends with a kiss. A letter to a loved one often ends with a kiss in the form of an 'X'. So the answer to this part of the puzzle is that it is a letter.

Verse 2:

Take the answer now in mind
and think of that beguiling line
If it were true then, for the win,
strike the key used to begin.

Answer:

The "beguiling line" is the one described as misleading in the first verse. So consider if it were true - then a letter would start with a kiss. So, the answer to this verse is the key on your keyboard you would use to begin a letter - a different kind of "letter", the letter 'X'.

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