Luis Inoa - "A Meditative Reading"

Poetry and spoken word have long been meditative and empowering spaces for Vassar College Associate Dean of the College for Student Living and Wellness, Luis Inoa, known on campus as Dean Luis. Join him as he reads pieces from Morgan Harper Nichols and Alexis Pauline Gumbs. The pieces will invite you to breathe and listen deeply.

Intro 0:00

Episode 0:43
Hi my name is Luis Jimenez Inoa. Students here at Vassar call me Dean Luis. For a long time both the written and the spoken word have been sources of inspiration and solace. Over the course of the last year the work of Morgan Harper Nichols and Alexis Pauline Gumbs have given me space to breath and be. I will be sharing a piece of written work from each of them.

The first is a “Daily Reminder” from Morgan Harper Nichols

You have not seen everything you were meant to see. You have not met everyone you were meant to meet. You have not done all the things you were meant to do. You have not traveled to all the places you were meant to travel to. You have seen a lot of the ocean, but there are still further depths. Take heart, breath deep. You are far from finished yet.

Early during the pandemic I signed up to receive a weekly email from Morgan. Many of them serve as a reminder to be kinder to myself. To slow down. To take notice. To breathe. I particularly love her work because it is a combination of the written work and visual art. I highly recommend that you check out her instagram and youtube accounts. For me it is particularly effective to read the pieces out loud and to reflect on the intention.

I believe it is vital that we allow the sound and vibration of the words to flow through us.

I will now share a piece by poet, activist, scholar, and black feminist Alexis Pauline Gumbs. This particular piece, given the repetition and cadence, provides a meditative space for me. It allows me to recognize my needs and my own beauty. I hope it will do the same for you.

Through Me

a future is flowing through me

a life-tide is flowing through me

those who have met in the water undrowned are flowing through me

ripples ripples ripples

ripples are flowing through me

genesis is ongoing and it is flowing through me

abundance is flowing through me

the infinite love of the universe is flowing through me

love is flowing through me

ancestral affirmation is flowing through me

love is flowing through me

village is flowing through me

love is flowing through me

the glow of each other’s love is flowing through me