Ayeee and Ouch

 

 

“Ouch!” and “Ayeee!”

We know them so well

And from many practical experiences

Their stories we can tell.

 

Like a near miss I saw

When two cars almost hit,

“Ayeee!” was my immediate expression,

Bajan drivers really sick.

 

Or the fearful victim

That’s been selected for a blood test

That deem such needles

As a nuisance or pest.

 

A different “Ayeee!”

But Ayeee!” nevertheless

Thus, turning a rather simple exercise

Into a colossal risk.

 

Or watching a boxing match

It is “Ayeee!” for every hit

And especially if it is the favourite,

You don’t want him to quit. 

  

Ayeee! Ayeee! Ayeee! Ayeee!

Licks like peas!

Different kind of “ayeee”, though,

If bitten by fleas.

 

There’s an “Ayeee” of excitement

And there’s an Ayeee of pain,

The former you’d want to repeat

But the latter, never again.

 

And then there’s “Ouch!”

Another interesting sound,

And if you ever mix up these two

Then you are a clown.

 

 

“Ouch!” for a spill:

It could be coffee or milk,

Or “Ouch!” when the knife slips-

Thank God not up to the hilt.

 

Stepping on the hot cement

With no shoes on your feet,

“Ouch!” is the expected cry

And a hasty retreat.

 

Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!

For the daring one that persists,

And if it is blistering hot

A layer of the feet you might miss.

 

There is also an “Ouch!”

For the unexpected mistake,

“What a fool I am!

I am not thinking here of late.”

 

“Ayeee!” and “Ouch!”

Similar in some ways but not in all,

“Ouch!” from a slip

But “Ayeee!” with a fall.

 

“Ouch!” is usually short

While “Ayeee!” tends to be long,

However, when it comes to pain

Expect both to be around.

 

Stewart Russell © October 22, 2020