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

Shawwal

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

The tenth Islamic month, during which Eid-ul-Fitr is celebrated and six days of optional fasting are recommended to complement Ramadan’s fasts.

Detailed Definition
Shawwal begins with communal joy and continues with spiritual momentum. Fasting six days (with Ramadan’s 30) is said to equal a year of worship. In poetry, Shawwal embodies gratitude in action—festivity followed by renewed discipline. Poets contrast Eid’s sweets with the quiet resolve of post-Ramadan fasting, showing that celebration and striving coexist in the believer’s journey.
Example
Example in poetry:
A post-Ramadan poem: “Shawwāl’s six fasts are the bonus track after the album of Ramadan”; In a modern verse, “Fasting in Shawwāl isn’t obligation—it’s gratitude extended”; A minimalist lyric: “Shawwāl: celebration with discipline”; A student’s reflection: “Ramadan ends, but the work continues—Shawwāl teaches continuity.”
Additional Notes
Shawwal is the tenth Islamic month, immediately following Ramadan. The first day of Shawwal is Eid al-Fitr, the festival of breaking the fast, a day of celebration and gratitude. A significant practice in this month is to observe six days of voluntary fasting, which carries the reward of fasting the entire year. For a poet, Shawwal represents celebration after austerity, the joy of spiritual accomplishment (Eid), and the transition from intense devotion back to everyday life, while carrying forward its lessons.
Also Known As
Shawwal (Islamic month) Tenth Month (of Hijri calendar)
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