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.

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



1720

Red Heels Reserved for French Aristocracy

What happened

In the 1720s, red heels became a symbol of privilege reserved for the French aristocracy, particularly during the reign of Louis XV. These distinctive shoes were often worn by the nobility to signify their status and wealth, reflecting the elaborate fashion trends of the time. The exclusivity of red heels underscored the social hierarchies of the period and the importance of fashion as a means of expressing identity and power.

Literary impact

The red heels reserved for the French aristocracy in 1720 were satirized in Rococo and Enlightenment literature, highlighting class distinctions and vanity. Poets and playwrights used this imagery to critique societal norms and the excesses of the elite. This cultural commentary resonated in the works of later poets who continued to explore themes of class and social justice.

Source: Wikipedia

Poets alive in 1720

23 poets

More events in 1720

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