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 H

Heron

Birds
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 tall, long-legged wading bird evoking stillness, patience, and solitude.

Detailed Definition
The heron’s meditative stance in marshes and rivers makes it a symbol of introspection, grace under pressure, and liminal awareness in poetry. In Japanese haiku and Western verse alike, it represents the quiet observer, bridging water and sky, action and stillness. Poets invoke the heron to explore themes of waiting, resilience, and the dignity of solitude, often as a counterpoint to human haste or chaos.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Japanese haiku, the heron standing in mist symbolizes patience and mindful presence; Mary Oliver describes the heron as “a blue prayer” wading through morning marsh; In Western verse, the heron’s slow movements evoke contemplation and solitude; Poets use the heron to bridge water and sky, representing liminal consciousness; Its stillness amid reeds becomes a metaphor for inner calm in chaotic times.
Additional Notes
The heron—tall, patient, and solitary—evokes stillness, introspection, and liminal awareness in poetry. Found in wetlands worldwide, it bridges water and sky, action and meditation. In Japanese haiku, it symbolizes mindful presence; in Western verse, it represents dignified solitude. Mary Oliver and other nature poets use it to explore grace under pressure. Related terms: “wader,” “meditative bird,” “edge-dweller.” Its slow movements contrast with more dynamic birds, offering a counter-rhythm in poetic imagery.
Also Known As
Great Blue Heron Grey Heron Ardea herodias Egret (related but distinct) hern
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