Here in Yorkshire
it is not unknown
for a man of my years
to be addressed by
a bus conductor (male)
as “Love” but “Flower”is a
term of endearment
reserved for intimate
family and friends
and “Petal” is reserved
for moments of real affection…
© Andrew Wilson, 2025
Over at dVerse Poets Pub, lillian in Quadrille
Interesting
🙂
much♡love
Yes – they are very friendly folk in Yorkshire Gillena…
A lesson on cultures. As Dean of a Global MBA program, with my global travels, I was always fascinated by cultural traditions, be they about naming, food, gestures, body language. I always taught students this: things are not better or worse, they are simply different.,
Very true Lillian – and that was a long comment for a woman with a dickey shoulder – thanks…
I remember a visit to Cornwall and being addressed as ‘my lover’, which was a bit if a surprise, but I wouldn’t mind ‘flower’ or ‘petal’, Andrew. Love Yorkshire.
That is so interesting… (and I have seen it in Brittish Crime series)
No you won’t get that much in gritty dramas lol
Andrew, that is the one thing I miss the most about living in the UK… The way people called you “love.” It always made me feel special!
Just so Coleen love!
Sweet
Andrew, I love how your piece captures something real and meaningful – regional identity expressed through how people address each other affectionately❤️
Thanks Ange – I have a list of Yorkshitre expressions on my phone – I knew they would come in useful one day…
Just once I would love to be addressed as “Flower” ~ how delightful. I will not be so bold as to request “Petal.”
Eeeyup petal! Thee little beauty…
Kind Sir … I blush.
I love this dip into culture, Andrew 😀 Gorgeous write.
Thank you Sanaa – I think that bus conductor would be surprised to be told he was exhibiting culture but of course he was…
That’s something I miss about England, the familiarity of certain language. In Australia, they had their own version but it never resonated quite as much for me. Now in Thailand, I know the Thai language contains these types of cultural indicators but have little idea what they actually are.
The things we discover in fresh cultures are never expected, Shaun…
Very interesting, Andrew! Good to know!
Yvette M Calleiro 🙂
http://yvettemcalleiro.blogspot.com
I like the distinctions, Andrew!
Yes,, Sara – the subtletys…
‘Petal’ is fairly common in Australia, as an extension of ‘pet’, and can signify anything from goodwill to a stranger, through mild affection, to very dear love.
Rosemary, an Australian habit we noted on our visit in 1968, was to abbreviate even the shortest name – Ian to Eee, for example, so “petal”, perhaps imported by Yorkshire folk, may well be the origin of “pet” which always seemed a strange term of endearment – as if ones beloved was a kind of pet (animal) and as for petting – let’s not even go there – lol…
Ah yes, this I remember well, and lives on in my extended family, even expats but our antipodean brethren eschew the practice as too friendly. It was my understanding that pet was a derivation of petal? Love this poem Andrew ❤️
Thanks for confirming that Paul – it never occurred to me before pet/petal…
How sweet and so apt, actually! This is what I love most about sharing poems on WP, everyday we learn something new! Thanks, Petal. 😄
Aww! Thanks flower…
I’ve learned something new.
Full of fun facts me…