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


On 22 December 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

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2 birthdays · 1 death anniversary · 3 world events on 22 December

Birthdays

Death anniversaries

World events on this day

  • 22 December 1306

    Expulsion of the Jews from France under Philip IV

    Philip IV ordered the arrest and expulsion of Jews throughout the Kingdom of France in 1306 while confiscating their property and debts. Families were driven from Paris and provincial communities into neighbouring territories. Some were permitted to return in 1315, but further expulsions followed during the century.

    Event 1306

  • 22 December 1964

    Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird First Flight

    The Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird made its first flight on December 22, 1964, marking a significant milestone in aviation technology. This strategic reconnaissance aircraft was designed for high-speed, high-altitude missions, capable of flying at speeds exceeding Mach 3. The SR-71's advanced engineering and capabilities revolutionized aerial surveillance during the Cold War, providing critical intelligence and setting new standards for military aircraft design.

    Event 1964

  • 22 December 1895

    Venezuela Boundary Crisis

    The Venezuela Boundary Crisis of 1895 was a diplomatic dispute between the United States and Great Britain over the border between Venezuela and British Guiana. The U.S. invoked the Monroe Doctrine, asserting that European powers should not interfere in the Americas, which led to heightened tensions. This crisis was significant as it marked a turning point in U.S.-British relations and demonstrated America's growing influence in international affairs.

    Event 1895
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