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 R

Refuge

World Religion
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 place of safety, shelter, or protection, often with spiritual significance, such as taking refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha in Buddhism.

Detailed Definition
In Buddhism, "taking refuge" formally marks one's commitment to the path of enlightenment. More broadly, across religions, a refuge can be a physical sanctuary like a temple or a metaphysical state of finding safety in the divine. Poets use this concept to express the universal human yearning for security, peace, and freedom from fear. It symbolizes a retreat from worldly turmoil, a haven for the soul, and the ultimate trust placed in a higher power. The search for and finding of refuge is a potent theme for exploring vulnerability, faith, and spiritual solace.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Buddhist poetry, Refuge is in Buddha, Dharma, Sangha: “Three Jewels—Refuge when storm of doubt rages”; In biblical psalms, God is Refuge: “My rock, my fortress—Refuge in shifting sands”; In contemporary verse, Refuge is community: “Queer chosen family—Refuge where I am fully seen”; Poets describe Refuge as active: “Not escape—Refuge is space to gather strength for return.”
Additional Notes
Refuge is formalized in Buddhism as the Three Jewels (Buddha, Dharma, Sangha); in Psalm 46, God is “our refuge and strength”; it conveys active trust, not passive hiding; in poetry, refuge appears as mountain cave, outstretched hand, or whispered name—offering sanctuary not from the world but for reengagement with renewed clarity.
Also Known As
Taking Refuge Triple Gem (Buddhist context) lair bield Tearmann haven asile lee
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