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 F

Fortification

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

Fortification refers to defensive structures or systems built to strengthen a position against attack.

Detailed Definition
Fortification embodies humanity's enduring effort to construct security against violence, from ancient city walls to modern concrete bunkers. Poets use fortification imagery to explore both literal military defenses and metaphorical barriers erected against emotional or spiritual threats, the elaborate human ingenuity invested in fortification often standing in poignant contrast to its ultimate impermanence, as even the strongest defenses eventually yield to time, siege, or changing methods of warfare.
Example
Example in poetry:
A poem might describe elaborate fortifications built over generations, only to fall within a single siege; Poets use "fortification" to explore both literal defense and metaphorical barriers against emotional threat; A verse could contrast the ingenuity invested in fortification with its ultimate impermanence; The term appears in poetry reflecting on how even the strongest defenses eventually yield to time; A poem might depict a ruined fortification as a haunting relic of past conflict; Historical poetry sometimes uses fortification to symbolize humanity's persistent, often futile pursuit of security.
Additional Notes
Fortification refers to defensive structures or systems built to strengthen a position against attack. Fortifications include walls, trenches, bunkers, and obstacles, ranging from simple earthworks to complex permanent castles. They have shaped military history by enabling defenders to resist larger forces. In poetry, fortifications symbolize human effort to impose order on chaos, to create safe spaces in dangerous landscapes. The strongest fortifications are often breached by technology or determination, making them metaphors for hubris. Related terms include stronghold, rampart, and bastion. The study of fortifications is central to military engineering, balancing firepower, movement, and concealment. Famous examples include the Maginot Line, the Great Wall of China, and the fortresses of Vauban.
Also Known As
Defense Bulwark Rampart Stronghold Fort Entrenchment
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