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 C

Commando

Military
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 commando is a soldier trained for daring raids and specialized, often covert, military operations.

Detailed Definition
The commando, emerging prominently as a term in twentieth-century warfare, represents individual daring and specialized skill within the broader military machine. Poets invoke commandos to explore themes of stealth, sacrifice, and the psychological toll of operating in constant danger behind enemy lines. The figure often stands apart from conventional forces, embodying both heroic self-reliance and the isolating burden of irregular warfare.
Example
Example in poetry:
A modern war poem might follow a commando slipping silently through enemy lines under cover of darkness; Poets use "commando" to explore themes of solitary courage and specialized, dangerous skill; A verse could contrast the commando's stealthy individualism with the massed formations of conventional armies; The term often appears in poetry depicting the psychological toll of covert, high-stakes operations; A poem might describe a commando's isolation, operating far from the camaraderie of a larger unit; Contemporary poetry sometimes uses "commando" to examine themes of hidden sacrifice unseen by the public.
Additional Notes
A commando is a soldier trained for daring raids and specialized, often covert, military operations. Commandos emerged in World War II as elite units capable of striking deep behind enemy lines. Training emphasizes physical endurance, small arms proficiency, demolitions, and unconventional tactics. The term comes from Dutch "commando," meaning a military unit, adopted by British forces. In poetry and popular culture, commandos embody the elite warrior, the individual who operates beyond conventional limits. Their blacked-out faces and silent movements have become iconic images. Related terms include raider, ranger, and special forces. The commando's role in sabotage, reconnaissance, and direct action represents a departure from mass conventional warfare toward precision and stealth.
Also Known As
Special Forces Raider Ranger Elite Soldier Shock Trooper Commando Unit
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