I am the reason this world keeps moving.
I don’t see the difference between rich and poor.
I don’t care if you are young or old.
Before me everyone stands equal.
I am the driving force behind industries
Agriculture, medicine, education, and pharma
All exist, somewhere, because of me.
I am the one who teaches you what life truly is.
For some, I’m not just a feeling
I am a destination.
Some will never know how I feel.
Some will never know the blessing of my absence.
Everyone earns to silence me,
Yet most end up learning to live with me.
One side of the world swallows pills to awaken me,
While the other side folds hands before God,
Begging for a cure to destroy me forever.
I can push you to achieve greatness.
I can drag you to the most painful death.
Be it happiness or sorrow,
Be it light or darkness,
Be it birth or death
I am the one that never leaves.
But I wear many faces.
Sometimes I am physical.
Sometimes I am emotional.
Call me by any name:
In Telugu - Aakali.
In Hindi - Bhookh.
In Tamil - Pasi.
In Bengali - Khudha.
In Kannada - Hasivu.
In Malayalam - Vishappu.
Different tongues. Different words.
But the feeling I bring?
It lingers the same
In every heart,
In every home,
Across every corner of this world.
While some plates overflow,
Others lick their fingers.
Some throw food like trash,
While others would trade a lifetime for one meal.
Wars have been fought in my name.
Revolutions have been born from my ache.
I am not just an empty stomach.
I am history.
I am survival.
I am tragedy.
I am not your shadow,
But the weight you were born to carry
The silent war you’ll never win.
I am HUNGER.
