Dal responds

[Goldilocks]

Cary_Galloway you are making a lot of assumptions to reach your conclusion. Who said it was a "never been heard before" poem?

[voxpops]

Cary_Galloway you are making a lot of assumptions to reach your conclusion. Who said it was a "never been heard before" poem?

That was my suggestion. If Dal is going to know, unequivocally, that someone has genuinely found the chest, the poem must contain something unique and so compelling that it would convince Dal. If it were something heard previously, Dal would have no idea whether the person was genuine, because anyone could utter phrases culled from FF's published works and make a claim.

[Cary_Galloway]

FF had all sorts of goofy ideas that don't make a lot of sense.
Like the part about putting a $1000 bill in his mailbox and telling the finder to wear a mask and commit a Federal Crime by tampering with the mail???

FF could have just asked the finder, "What year Olympics was the Olympic coin I put in there?"
That was weird enough. And he could have told Dal, "there is a 1984 olympics coin in there"
Who cares?

IN MY OPINION: The whole recite my poem is just the same kindof $1000 bill in my mailbox kindof thinking FF does.

[Not4but242Walk]

It is more likely f told/read something to Dal in the past innocuously, that wouldn't fully be realized until a 'finder' repeats something similar back.

It could include a unique word or phrase f used for something, in front of Dal, at some point in their past conversations.

[Must Listengood]

That was my suggestion. If Dal is going to know, unequivocally, that someone has genuinely found the chest, the poem must contain something unique and so compelling that it would convince Dal. If it were something heard previously, Dal would have no idea whether the person was genuine, because anyone could utter phrases culled from FF's published works and make a claim.

I have to agree with this logic. It's something that only a few had heard. Maybe Doug, his family, Dal or maybe just Dal. And this would likely be in the Olive jar, but separate from his autobiography. Otherwise, none if this 2nd poem thing makes much sense - if its not in the Olive Jar, conspiracy theories start to become believable.

[Cary_Galloway]

I have to agree with this logic. It's something that only a few had heard. Maybe Doug, his family, Dal or maybe just Dal. And this would likely be in the Olive jar, but separate from his autobiography. Otherwise, none if this 2nd poem thing makes much sense - if its not in the Olive Jar, conspiracy theories start to become believable.

I agree it is probably in the olive jar.

[Cary_Galloway]

It is more likely f told/read something to Dal in the past innocuously, that wouldn't fully be realized until a 'finder' repeats something similar back.

It could include a unique word or phrase f used for something, in front of Dal, at some point in their past conversations.

Yeah FF's Magnum Opus, his most famous and valuable poem he's not going to release at all and only put it in the treasure chest that might never be found.

FF is the type of guy that wanted to enjoy his legacy WHILE he was still living. He wanted his cake and to eat it too.

The short poem he used we all heard before. Name another short poem it could be. You can't.

[Goldilocks]

If Forrest was annointing Dal as the gatekeeper and telling him there was a password (the poem), it makes no sense that Forrest wouldn't tell Dal what it was. How could that knowledge benefit Dal in any way?

[Goldilocks]

Yeah FF's Magnum Opus, his most famous and valuable poem he's not going to release at all and only put it in the treasure chest that might never be found.

FF is the type of guy that wanted to enjoy his legacy WHILE he was still living. He wanted his cake and to eat it too.

The short poem he used we all heard before. Name another short poem it could be. You can't.

Mighty oaks from little acorns slowly grow

Then finally fall and wisp to naught,

But those who plant a seed of words

Live on in groves of human thought. – Forrest Fenn

[voxpops]

If Forrest was annointing Dal as the gatekeeper and telling him there was a password (the poem), it makes no sense that Forrest wouldn't tell Dal what it was. How could that knowledge benefit Dal in any way?

That's really odd, isn't it? If the poem story is genuine, then there would have to be a further reason why FF needed to keep the confirmatory poem (or at least the crux of the information it contained) secret - even from Dal.

[voxpops]

Mighty oaks from little acorns slowly grow

Then finally fall and wisp to naught,

But those who plant a seed of words

Live on in groves of human thought. – Forrest Fenn

Nice one. But suppose I call up Dal and read him that poem (or any other we know about). He would be none the wiser as to whether I had the chest or not.

[Must Listengood]

Yeah FF's Magnum Opus, his most famous and valuable poem he's not going to release at all and only put it in the treasure chest that might never be found.

FF is the type of guy that wanted to enjoy his legacy WHILE he was still living. He wanted his cake and to eat it too.

The short poem he used we all heard before. Name another short poem it could be. You can't.

I can't say you are wrong CG, but it seems so obviously subject to fraud after his death. He said there would be a way to know and I don't see how that is much of a way to know. I don't see this poem as his Magnum Opus, just something unique almost like a password.

Your theory is interesting because if you go with the "well known poem" theory, then its GUARANTEED to be in the Olive Jar, because we know there are several in his autobiography. And we'll never know which one for sure in that scenario. Any one of us could have come up with one of those poems to satisfy the challenge question of "Did you really find the treasure?". And there's no doubt those poems are in the Treasure Chest, so we could all claim to be the finder. How would we know we were supposed to recite one of those poem's when challenged? That's a real question to you - how do you think the finder would know to recite the epitaph?

[Must Listengood]

That's really odd, isn't it? If the poem story is genuine, then there would have to be a further reason why FF needed to keep the confirmatory poem (or at least the crux of the information it contained) secret - even from Dal.

Perhaps it was just to keep Dal from leaking it, accidently or otherwise, or perhaps the more logical reason - The poem is about 9 Mile Hole.

[voxpops]

Name another short poem it could be. You can't.

Exactly! That's the point. Those of us without the chest can't know the poem that confirms possession to Dal. If 100,000 people know his epitaph and one of them calls Dal and reads him that same phrase, it confirms nothing.

If the story of the second poem is true, Forrest knew of something within the chosen poem that was unknown to others and yet also knew, without a shadow of doubt, that it would alert Dal.

[voxpops]

Perhaps it was just to keep Dal from leaking it, accidently or otherwise, or perhaps the more logical reason - The poem is about 9 Mile Hole.

That's possible.