There Were Times in Haifa • The Period of My Childhood and Youth • A Song

Uri Sharon from Haifa remembers a time when he was a child and a teenager, and he wrote about it this way:
There were times in Haifa
א
There were times. They will not return again.
There were days. We cherished them very much.
There were star-spangled nights.
Children – their hearts are golden.
There was a baby.

ב
There was innocence like no other,
It is only curiosity that we have discovered.
The taste of youth
Despite the unnecessary explanations,
But with evidence.

ג
There was a market for stamps (in Hebrew) and for "symbols". (Smel!!!!!!) To see boats coming out of the anthill. There were demands and girls, but in my dreams I had girls. They were beautiful. On the paths we played "Long Horse",
And for "movement" we put on the "string".
The wide ones were narrow.
The creatures were filled with them.
It was nice…

ה
If only he slept here, someone would remember.
The vendor: Falafel is a seller.
Half a mana in seven dirhams,
And you didn't ask, "What does it mean?"
Because that's how it was.

ו
And who sits in front of a "palace" (in the sense of "iron"),
And a trimmed splash on the face is liquid.
A pinch of ground tahini is applied to the face.
You drank juice, but I also drank water.
I have a problem.

ז
And a tour of the "Garden of Remembrance"
Who went home last?
First to rise from the chair
There was a statue on the spot.
Because of the cold.

ח
And who remembers Cologne "from the beginning"?
A successful name is one that is applied with logic.
There was a movie about Rama.
Could it be a "May" cologne?
Well, who will remember?
epilogue
Today every kiosk has become a boutique,
And the new is suddenly an old one.
He sees a familiar face but does not remember.
Or is it someone else…
----
Today you are "Khatyar" from the Shura.
And what drama do you remember?
If you "got wet" then it was in the garden.
And what day is it? You are "protected housing"...
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• Childhood play in Haifa in the late 40s and early 50s