Living On Three Continents: Sally And Hoppit
Susan Siddeley's guests think her dog and cat have pretty names. What they don't realise is "Hop it'' in Yorkshire means buzz off, and "sale'' is Spanish for out. Susan's poem will make you smile - but there's a serious point to it.
Books of Susan's poems are availabe for sale. Click on Gillian Arthur in our Links list.
“What pretty names your two pets have!”
Our guests - unwitting - enthuse,
for they haven’t really, properly heard,
just how these labels are used.
Sure “Hoppit” is how we address the dog
and “Sally” we say to the cat,
but with a little closer attention they’d see
there’s much more to it than that.
“Hop it” in Yorkshire means “buzz off”,
and “sale” is Spanish for “out”.
Our four-legged friends are working class ones
and we don’t really want them about.
One issue raised by soft people,
who visit from countries afar is,
they see furry things and promptly demand,
pet food for them, from a jar.
“The cat’s a ratter, the dog defends.
‘Whiskas’ and ‘Pal’ brands are soft.
Being lean and mean makes these animas tick,”
I explain … whilst shooing them off.
“But they need bowls and blankets too.”
The Do-Gooders, daring, insist.
“For pets have rights and desires like you.”
And they start to make me A List!
“Alright ‘Sally’, and ‘Hoppit’ OK,
Come Dears and eat off our laps.
The Guests will all be gone by next week,
and you’ll be back out chewing Scraps!”
