Beau Sia and the Authenticity of Place

This poem by poet Beau Sia reminds me of the concept of "the authenticity of place" that my friend had introduced me to a while ago. She explained to me that information about a memory are stored in our brain in nodes that connect with each other, so a place where we went on a date with our significant other is always going to be a part of the memory associated with the relationship we have. A place is a witness of my relationship with my boyfriend, and it is also the witness of other people's relationships with their loved ones. By acknowledging our individual memories as part of the collective memory, we feel as if the memory was more real, more tangible, and we feel connected to the big picture.

Beau Sia came to my school a couple of weeks ago to perform, he was very humorous, talented and his works touched us with honesty and tenderness. One of my favorite things that he said during the performance was: "The power in a relationship does not come from dominance, it comes from connection."