From MotorMouth Podcasts, this is Straight From My Heart, Poetry by Nupur Parik-Pandey and I’m your host and friendly neighbourhood poetess, Nupur Parik-Pandey.

Welcome to the very first episode of this special little show which is about poetry written and performed by me and about the conversations that follow and aim to make you think, feel and relax. I want nothing more than to leave you, our dear listeners, with a smile on your face and peace in your heart at the end of each episode.

So, a little about me- I’m a 31 year old dentist, poet, podcaster, mother, wife, daughter, friend and lover of all things artistic. I started my journey as a poet at the tender age of five and over the years, I have realised that it truly is the language of my soul, however cheesy that might sound. I recently finished writing my first book, which is an anthology of poems I have written over the years and it will hopefully be out by the last quarter of this year..

In this first episode today, I want to talk about something that I feel is very apt and relevant in our lives today as we battle cabin fever and face our own demons in a far more insidious manner because of the isolation that Covid-19 has plagued our lives with- today’s poem is about self love and self care, because I’m sure I’m not the only one who has indulged in unnecessary and often unkind introspection and criticism of my own self. Often I feel like I’m not enough, that I’m not a good enough mother, that I’m not creating enough ripples in this world, that my contribution to my community is not as much as I’d like for it to be. There are days when I wonder if I’m too skinny, and then there are days when I wonder if my nose is too big. There are days when I feel hopeless and pessimistic about nearly everything- global warming, this hellish pandemic, crazy politicians,and an uncertain future for this planet and somehow, the severe type-A person that I am, i ask myself why can’t I change it all and why can’t I be the superhero that never mucks anything up?

But you know what, we aren’t meant to be perfect. We’re meant to be human, with all our flaws and imperfections. So how about we just embrace ourselves and pat ourselves on the back today for making it work thus far because life is never easy. So, on the other side of this break, I want to share with you my poem on self love- it is called I love Me.

Welcome back.

Here is my poem, I Love Me.

Indulge yourself today.

When you crave for cake

Bake yourself some cookies too.

Life is hard 

On most days. 

On most days

The bath water isn’t warm enough,

The coffee isn’t strong enough,

The air isn’t clean enough. 

The neighbour’s cry is loud,

The boss’s commentary incessant,

The landlord’s wails annoying. 

The roads are muddy,

You don’t get a taxi when you need one,

And after walking ten blocks

You realise you forgot your phone

In that cafe where you bought

The not-strong-enough coffee. 

Life is a pill

On most days;

So indulge yourself

On that one day,

In that one time

When the world is shut indoors

Like a grounded teenager.

Bake yourself a cake, some cookies,

Some kindness. 

You deserve a kiss

From your lover and your child-

Sure.

But first, a kiss for yourself,

An inward twist of metaphorical lips

To shower appreciation 

For yourself for doing

The best you can.

Imposter syndrome be damned.

You’ve got this,

With more surety than you admit to.

You deserve more cake.

Did you like it? Did it make any sense to you? Do you feel it has relevance in your life? Do write in and tell us about it. We would love to know!

Before we sign off, here is my little pro-tip that you can use if you’re feeling a little blah today. Weariness can creep in from anywhere right? So if today, you feel like you just can’t summon any energy in your body, shut yourself in a dark room, take a bucket of nice warm water, add a spoonful of salt to it and a few drops of lavender essential oil (or whichever scents you’d prefer!) and switch on some good music. I find that this heals me and strengthens me  almost magically on even the hardest, most annoying days. Give it a shot.

And with that, let’s wrap this debut episode of Straight From My Heart, Poetry by Nupur Parik-Pandey. 

Thanks for listening. You can follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook – our handle is @MotorMouthPods

Check out more episodes of this show and other MotorMouth Originals on our website – motormouthpods.com

You can find music and other credits in the episode notes.

This episode was written and hosted by me, Nupur (Parik).

Sound production, design and mixing by Prateek Sharma

Our Creative Director is Gargie Sharma

Executive produced and created by Prateek Sharma, for MotorMouth Podcasts

I’ll see you in the next episode of Straight From  My Heart. Bye Bye.