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 S

scupper

Nautical
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 opening in the bulwark or deck edge that allows water to drain off the deck.

Detailed Definition
The scupper is the ship's drainage, a small hole that prevents the deck from becoming a swimming pool. In poetry, it symbolizes release, the safety valve, and the necessary mechanism for shedding excess—whether water, emotion, or burden. Its unglamorous function appeals to poets interested in the humble, overlooked details that maintain survival. The scupper's gurgle as water pours overboard is a small, practical music that contrasts with the grand roar of the waves. It also suggests the importance of letting go, of allowing the deck to stay dry and functional, so that the serious work of sailing can continue.
Example
Example in poetry:
The scupper in poetry symbolizes release, the safety valve, and the necessary mechanism for shedding excess—whether water, emotion, or burden.; Its unglamorous function appeals to poets interested in the humble, overlooked details that maintain survival.; The scupper’s gurgle as water pours overboard is a small, practical music that contrasts with the grand roar of the waves.; It suggests the importance of letting go, of allowing the deck to stay dry and functional.; The scupper is an opening in the bulwark or deck edge that allows water to drain.; Its presence reminds us that even the smallest holes serve a vital purpose.
Additional Notes
A scupper is a small opening in the bulwark or deck edge that allows water to drain off the deck. In poetry, this humble, unglamorous feature symbolizes release, the safety valve, and the necessary mechanism for shedding excess—whether water, emotion, or burden. Its gurgle as water pours overboard is a small, practical music that contrasts with the grand roar of the waves. Poets use the scupper to suggest the importance of letting go, of allowing the deck to stay dry and functional, so that the serious business of sailing can continue. It is a symbol of the overlooked, yet vital, details of survival.
Also Known As
Deck drain freeing port wash port
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