DEMANDING COMPANION

O ye troublesome

stomach of mine!

You are not agreeing

to forgo

your habitual meal

even for a day;

Nor would you accept

in one lot

food for two days –

today and tomorrow.

You do not realise

even for a moment

the travails I am put to

on your account!

All I can say,

O stomach of mine

is that it is indeed

an arduous task

to live with you!

[Tamil poem by AVVAIYAR (12^th century A.D) rendered into English by Sage TGN]