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 V

Veteran

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 veteran is a person who has served in the military, particularly one with combat experience.

Detailed Definition
The veteran figure in poetry embodies the lasting aftermath of war, carrying its physical and psychological scars long after combat has ended. Poets use veterans to explore themes of memory, trauma, and the difficult process of returning to civilian life after experiencing violence, often highlighting society's complicated relationship with those who fought on its behalf, celebrated for their sacrifice yet frequently left to grapple privately with war's enduring wounds.
Example
Example in poetry:
A poem might portray a veteran carrying invisible scars long after his return from war's violence; Poets use "veteran" to explore memory, trauma, and the difficult transition back into civilian life; A verse could contrast society's public celebration of veterans with their private, ongoing suffering; The term appears in poetry examining how war's wounds persist far beyond the battlefield itself; A poem might describe a veteran's silence at a family gathering, words failing to capture his experience; Historical war poetry sometimes uses veterans to critique a nation's incomplete care for those who served.
Additional Notes
A veteran is a person who has served in the military, particularly one with combat experience. The term comes from the Latin "veteranus," meaning "old" or "experienced," and it carries profound social and cultural weight. Veterans are distinguished from active-duty service members by their completed service, yet they remain deeply connected to military identity and the bonds formed during their time in uniform. In poetry, the veteran represents a complex figure: the survivor who has witnessed the horrors of war, the bearer of memories that cannot be shared, the person who must reintegrate into a society that may not understand their experiences. Veterans have been central to war poetry from Homer's Odysseus to the works of Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon, where they often embody the enduring scars of conflict, both visible and invisible. The term also encompasses the idea of wisdom gained through suffering, as the veteran's perspective is shaped by direct encounter with mortality and the extremes of human behavior. Related concepts include "warrior," "survivor," and "retiree," but the veteran holds a unique place in military culture and national consciousness, often honored but sometimes neglected, making them a powerful subject for poetic exploration of memory, trauma, and gratitude.
Also Known As
Ex-Serviceman Old Soldier Warhorse Retired Soldier Campaigner
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