Hide & Seek (Virtual Reward 3.0) Virtual Cache

I have a long standing appreciation for artists and their creations. Writers, poets, lyricists... those who paint pictures with their words I admire, and envy, their talents. After moving to the island at the end of the summer of 2020 (yes, in the middle of the pandemic) I took many a walk exploring all that my new city had to offer (and collecting a few geocaches along the way, of course). Walking up Government Street I spotted a lovely piece of street art, a "two-fer" if you will for not only is it a sculpture by Glenn Closson, but it contains a poem by Carla Funk, Victoria's inaugral Poet Laureate.

Many places around the world appoint a Poet Laureate to act as a literary and cultural ambassador for their city or country. These wordsmiths create poems to mark special occasions or events - they elevate their communities with their written and spoken word. Victoria appointed its first Poet Laureate, Carla Funk, in 2006. During her two and a half year term she wrote nine poems, performed many readings, and hosted events. On February 3, 2009 the City unveiled this Poet Laureate Legacy Artwork to commemorate the works and achievements of Funk in her role. Closson's original artwork plays with nature in an urban setting: a tree wrapped around a lamp post with Funk's words on the ribbon weaved amongst the leaves. The sculpture itself is metal: hot dipped, galvanized, and hand painted. The tree was given some TLC in September 2023 and is now back in place looking more brilliant than ever.

Hide & Seek

You who 

lift a penny

from the gutter

with the same hand

point out stars,

find me.

In an effort to make poetry more accessible to all listeners Funk raised awareness and appreciation for poetry by challenging false assumptions that it is a "high-brow" art form only for the well educated. She has another work etched into the granite next to the Watering Can in Beacon Hill Park which I almost chose for this virtual; however, the title of this piece Hide & Seek is just too perfect for geocaching, wouldn't you agree? One of the poems she wrote during her time as Poet Laureate is also appropriate for this location: Walking Up Government Street. It features a line "I want to annoy people with my happiness" that tickles my fancy. If you are interested you can check it out, as well as the other eight poems she wrote during her term, at https://www.victoria.ca/EN/main/residents/culture/poet-laureate/carla-funk.html

To log this as a find you must do one of the following:

• Aim High: take a picture of you pointing at the word "me" on the tree (get it? Find "me") and post it with your log.
• Go Low: take a picture of something that identifies you as a geocacher beside the dedication plate on the sidewalk at GZ and post it with your log.
• **No Camera**: send me a message with the two four letter words permanently embossed on the lamp post and note in your log that you have done so.

 Any logs without one of these requirements will be deleted.

If you are curious to learn more about the position of Poet Laureate or to read about the person currently holding the position visit https://www.victoria.ca/EN/main/residents/culture/poet-laureate/poet-laureate.html

**Congratulations to NavyAviator: the First to Find.**