Back in the days of wine and roses
Photographs were perfect poses
Of a happy young couple grinning
We were at the top of the first inning

Children, orthodontist, mortgage, overdrawn,
Car payments, charge cards, and so on
Both of us had to work just to get by
It seemed like I was nothing more than a fall guy

Gawked in the mirror at the lines on my face
Concluded that I wanted out of the rat race
Came upon the seventh inning stretch
And I still felt like a dog playing fetch

Sick of the debt that we amassed
Had to make a transformation and make it fast
Learned to love the simple things in life
Everything else caused nothing but strife

Grandchildren are playing on the grass
Chasing a football after a errant pass
It's now the top of inning number nine
In spite of it all, life turned out just fine

Charles Hancock

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/days-of-wine-and-roses-2/