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


On 20 February in poetry and history

Poets born or who died on this date, plus historical events that happened on this day across history.

610 poets with calendar dates · 6,535 events with calendar dates in the catalogue

Previous Today Next

1 birthday · 1 death anniversary · 5 world events on 20 February

Birthdays

Death anniversaries

World events on this day

  • 20 February 1909

    Marinetti Publishes the Futurist Manifesto

    Filippo Tommaso Marinetti published the Futurist Manifesto on the front page of Le Figaro on 20 February 1909, declaring speed, the automobile, and the machine to be the supreme aesthetic values and rejecting the entire literary past.

    Event 1909

  • 20 February 1823

    James Weddell Reaches Record Farthest South

    In 1823, British sealer James Weddell achieved a remarkable feat by reaching 74°15'S in the Weddell Sea, setting a new record for the farthest south latitude ever reached at that time. His expedition not only expanded the geographical knowledge of the Antarctic region but also led to the discovery of the sea that now bears his name. Weddell's journey contributed to the age of exploration and the understanding of polar environments.

    Event 1823

  • 20 February 1852

    Poem 'A Valentine' Published in Springfield Daily Republican

    On February 20, 1852, Emily Dickinson's poem 'Sic transit gloria mundi' was published under the title 'A Valentine' in the Springfield Daily Republican newspaper in Springfield, Massachusetts. It appeared anonymously and was heavily edited.

    Event 1852

  • 20 February 1986

    Mir Space Station Launch

    In 1986, the Soviet Union launched Mir, the first modular space station, initiating long-duration human presence in orbit. Designed for expandable modules and scientific research, it hosted international crews and experiments. Mir symbolized Soviet space engineering prowess and paved the way for collaborative efforts like the International Space Station.

    Event 1986

  • 20 February 1961

    The Rocket Belt (Bell Rocket Belt)

    In the United States, Bell Aerosystems developed the rocket belt, a personal flying device that used a hydrogen peroxide rocket to propel the wearer through the air. The rocket belt was demonstrated at the 1961 Daytona 500 and other events, capturing the public's imagination. However, it was impractical for widespread use, as it had a very short flight time and was difficult to control. It remains a symbol of the early Space Age and the dream of personal flight.

    Event 1961
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