Long since past their prime has faded
We watch the battles of the aged

Incredulous...it may appear,
They were us in yesteryear !

First little angels and daddies cuties
Then corsage pinned; then wedding beauties

Or sandlot sluggers, sometimes in knickers
To slicked back hair and drinking liquors

Later - parental sages, for at least a score
Who asked for little but gave much more

Mothers and nurses, fathers and soldiers
Who did all the work as we rode on their shoulders

Oblivious to their own gradual decline
As they watched children mature, as if gaging fine wine

Then graying temples forced them aside
And taken with humility, and not without pride

Now - more than one step to slow for the dance
Will we leave them behind, or give them a chance ?

Copyright 2008, Frederick V. Romano