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 E

Echelon

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

An echelon is a formation of troops, ships, or aircraft arranged in a staggered, step-like pattern.

Detailed Definition
Echelon, both as a precise military formation and a broader term for hierarchical levels of command, appears in poetry to evoke the structured, almost geometric organization underlying military operations. Poets use the echelon's staggered arrangement to symbolize order imposed upon chaos, as well as the layered hierarchies of authority within military institutions, where individuals occupy specific ranks within a larger, coordinated system of command and formation.
Example
Example in poetry:
A poem might describe troops arranged in a staggered echelon formation, moving with geometric precision; Poets use "echelon" to symbolize the layered hierarchy and structured order underlying military operations; A verse could contrast the echelon's disciplined arrangement with the chaos erupting once battle begins; The term appears in poetry exploring themes of rank, status, and position within an organization; A poem might extend "echelon" metaphorically to describe social or professional hierarchies beyond warfare; Historical poetry sometimes uses echelon formations to evoke the visual choreography of massed armies.
Additional Notes
An echelon is a formation of troops, ships, or aircraft arranged in a staggered, step-like pattern. This arrangement improves maneuverability and control, allowing successive waves to support each other. Echelons can be left or right, forward or rear, creating flexible formations for attack or defense. In poetry, the echelon suggests order, precision, and the mechanical choreography of combat. The term also appears in logistics, referring to levels of supply and command (e.g., rear echelon). Related terms include column, line, and staggered formation. Echeloning allows units to maintain communication and mutual support while minimizing vulnerability. The echelon formation has been used for centuries, from Greek phalanxes to modern armored advances.
Also Known As
Formation Tier Level Rank Column Wave
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