Ruined Haiku

The website Ruined Music is all about songs that once greatly signified people's romantic relationships, but once those relationships went awry, the people who once loved those songs could no longer bear to listen to them any more. The site recently ran a haiku contest, asking readers to write a haiku based on such a "ruined song."

I entered the contest, but with a 180-degree twist. You see, I don't at all fit the profile of the typical Ruined Music contributor, since I was never really in love until I met Julie - and we've now been together for over ten years and will be for the rest of our lives. In other words, I never had (and never will have) a bitter breakup that permanently ruined a song that was inextricably linked to that relationship. But I entered the contest anyway, with the twist being that I chose a great "breakup song" that was forever nullified when Julie and I got together. One of my favorite breakup songs is Yo La Tengo's "I Was The Fool Beside You For Too Long" which, now that I have Julie, will never truly resonate with me emotionally. So, in a way, this breakup song was "ruined" for me by finding the love of my life. (And, of course, I'm eternally grateful for the song being ruined in such a pleasant manner.)

Hence, I penned this haiku:

"I was the fool be-
side you for too long." Not true.
Still here, loving it.