diff --git a/pollen/core.rkt b/pollen/core.rkt
index 8e15531..3a2208a 100644
--- a/pollen/core.rkt
+++ b/pollen/core.rkt
@@ -11,7 +11,10 @@
 (define is-meta-value? hash?)
 (define is-doc-value? txexpr?)
 
-(define+provide define-meta (λ xs "\n")) ;; newline will merge with surroundings
+;; if `define-meta` is defined it will pop an error msg if the wrong number of args
+;; even though this error will happen after macro expansion, when metas are extracted
+;; empty string will merge with surroundings
+(define+provide (define-meta k v) "")
 
 (define+provide current-metas (make-parameter #f))
 
diff --git a/pollen/private/main-base.rkt b/pollen/private/main-base.rkt
index 5a68fda..bb07bef 100644
--- a/pollen/private/main-base.rkt
+++ b/pollen/private/main-base.rkt
@@ -37,7 +37,8 @@
 
 (define (strip-leading-newlines doc)
   ;; drop leading newlines, as they're often the result of `defines` and `requires`
-  (or (memf (λ (ln) (not (equal? ln (setup:newline)))) doc) null))
+  (or (memf (λ (ln) (and (not (equal? ln (setup:newline)))
+                         (not (equal? ln "")))) doc) null))
 
 
 (define-syntax (pollen-module-begin stx)
@@ -65,6 +66,6 @@
           (require pollen/top pollen/core pollen/setup (submod "." META-MOD-ID))
           (provide (all-defined-out) METAS-ID DOC-ID)
           (define prev-metas (current-metas))
-          (and (current-metas METAS-ID) "\n") ; because newlines get stripped, voids don't
+          (and (current-metas METAS-ID) "") ; because empty strings get stripped, voids don't
           (begin . EXPRS)
           (and (current-metas prev-metas) "")))])) ; leave behind empty string, not void
diff --git a/pollen/private/ts.rktd b/pollen/private/ts.rktd
index 6acbbe5..8af5e01 100644
--- a/pollen/private/ts.rktd
+++ b/pollen/private/ts.rktd
@@ -1 +1 @@
-1519509395
+1519530928