A quiet notice V2Melody closes at midnight on , Spanish time.

Closes

A note from Richard

V2Melody will close at midnight on 20 January 2028

This site has been a retirement project in musical poetry: poems chosen with care and set to music, offered freely for as long as it felt right to keep the garden open.

The work no longer holds the place it once did in my life. I have gone as far with it as I wish to go. Like a sand mandala, it was made to be completed and then released. I am not attached to its permanence, and I do not believe any of it needs to last beyond the time it was given. The poems were already here before I arrived and began to experiment with them. They will still be here when these musical experiments, and indeed myself, have been swept away, like the sand of a mandala. Nothing has been lost.

I want a simpler end to my life, days of simple love and enjoyment with my wonderful wife of 20 years. The work of maintaining a server, the monitoring, and the residual obligations that come with keeping a site alive no longer fit that life.

From 4 November 2026 I will not be adding new poems or musical poems to the site.

The experimental music I am making now is on my Suno profile. Those pieces stay there, and are not added to this site.

Until midnight on 20 January 2028, Spanish time, everything remains available exactly as it is. That is when my VPS server contract comes to an end, and it will not be renewed. After that, the server will be switched off and the site will disappear.

The Mandala Is Finished explains this more fully.

Thank you to anyone who found a poem, a track, or a quiet moment here.

The pleasure was in the making.

Richard

Home › Glossary › Letter B

boom

Nautical
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A horizontal spar extending from the mast to which the foot of a sail is attached.

Detailed Definition
The boom is the long, swinging spar that controls the lower edge of a fore-and-aft sail. In poetry, it represents a forceful lever of action, one that can be a tool or a weapon depending on the wind. Its sudden swing across the deck (jibing) is a known maritime danger, making it a symbol of unexpected betrayal or the violent redirection of forces. Poets also use the boom to evoke the horizontal push of power, the broad sweep of influence, or the low, threatening presence that lurks just above the deck, reminding us that even the indispensable equipment carries inherent risk.
Example
Example in poetry:
“We heard the breakers clash and boom; we saw them plunge and writhe and rise” (from a sea lyric).; “The boy stood on the burning deck … BOOM” (parodic use in a modern poem).; The boom’s sudden swing across the deck becomes a metaphor for unexpected betrayal in verse.; Poets use the boom to evoke the forceful redirection of fate or the violent turn of events.; A poem might describe ducking the boom as an act of survival and quick wit.; The boom’s low, threatening presence reminds us that even essential tools carry risk.
Additional Notes
The boom, a horizontal spar that controls the lower edge of a sail, is a dynamic and potentially dangerous element of a ship's rigging. Its sudden, violent swing across the deck during a jibe has made it a potent poetic symbol for unexpected betrayal, the violent redirection of forces, and the inherent risks of relying on powerful tools. The phrase "jibe" or "gybe" itself carries connotations of sudden change or ridicule, which poets can exploit. However, the boom also represents controlled power and the force of the wind made tangible. When writing about the boom, consider the contrast between its low, threatening presence just above the deck and the soaring, graceful curves of the sails above. Its horizontal nature grounds the vertical aspirations of the masts, offering a reminder of the earthbound limitations and practical dangers that accompany all lofty endeavors.
Other Meanings of “boom”
Also Known As
Main boom jib boom spanker boom Expansion
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