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

Sentry

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 sentry is a soldier stationed to guard a position and watch for approaching danger.

Detailed Definition
The sentry embodies vigilance, isolation, and the quiet tension of anticipated danger, standing watch through long hours of uncertainty. Poets use the sentry figure to explore themes of solitude and duty, as this soldier's task requires enduring boredom and fear simultaneously while responsible for the safety of others. The sentry's watchful stillness offers a contemplative counterpoint to the chaos of active battle elsewhere in war poetry.
Example
Example in poetry:
A poem might depict a lone sentry standing watch through long, uncertain hours of night; Poets use "sentry" to explore vigilance, isolation, and the quiet tension of anticipated danger; A verse could contrast the sentry's stillness with the chaos of battle happening elsewhere; The term appears in poetry examining the psychological burden of enduring both boredom and fear simultaneously; A poem might describe a sentry's private thoughts drifting toward home during a silent watch; Historical war poetry sometimes uses the sentry as a contemplative figure amid surrounding violence.
Additional Notes
A sentry is a soldier stationed to guard a position and watch for approaching danger. Sentries are the first line of defense, providing security and early warning. Their duty is to remain vigilant, challenge strangers, and sound the alarm. In poetry, the sentry represents the constant vigilance of war, the soldier alone in the dark. Related terms include guard, lookout, and picket. The sentry's motto is "alert," and their vigilance is essential to the safety of the camp or post. The sentry's relief is a moment of rest and relief. The lonely vigil is a powerful literary image.
Also Known As
Guard Lookout Sentinel Watchman Picket Watch
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