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

Fortress

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 fortress is a fortified stronghold built to defend territory and withstand siege or assault.

Detailed Definition
The fortress serves as a powerful poetic symbol of protection, permanence, and resistance, often standing in contrast to the transience of human life and empire. Poets have long used fortresses to explore themes of security and its illusions, since even the mightiest strongholds eventually fall to time, siege, or betrayal. The fortress also functions metaphorically for emotional or spiritual defenses, as in devotional poetry describing God as a fortress against worldly danger.
Example
Example in poetry:
A poem might describe an ancient fortress standing resilient against centuries of siege and decay; Poets use "fortress" to symbolize both protection and the illusion of permanent security; A verse could contrast a fortress's imposing stone walls with the fragility of those it fails to protect; Devotional poetry sometimes describes God as a fortress against worldly danger and despair; A poem might depict a fallen fortress as a metaphor for empire's inevitable decline; Historical poetry often uses fortresses to explore themes of endurance and eventual vulnerability.
Additional Notes
A fortress is a fortified stronghold built to defend territory and withstand siege or assault. Fortresses are permanent structures, often with thick walls, towers, and garrison accommodations. They can be isolated or part of a defensive chain. In poetry, the fortress represents security, stubbornness, and the human impulse to create impenetrable spaces. The fall of a fortress, like that of the Alamo or Masada, has deep symbolic weight. Related terms include citadel, keep, and garrison. The fortress is not just a place but a state of mind, representing the defensive posture and the will to hold out against overwhelming odds. Its imagery is often used in discussions of psychological defense.
Also Known As
Fort Stronghold Citadel Castle Bastion Redoubt Garrison barrack Dinas
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