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 24 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

Previous Today Next

3 birthdays · 2 death anniversaries · 10 world events on 24 December

Birthdays

Death anniversaries

World events on this day

  • 24 December 1055

    Seljuk Turks enter Baghdad

    In 1055, Tughril Beg entered Baghdad and displaced Buyid control over the Abbasid caliphate. The Seljuks became protectors of the Sunni caliph while exercising real political power. This marked a major reordering of authority in the Islamic world.

    Event 1055

  • 24 December 1601

    Battle of Kinsale Ends Gaelic Resistance

    The Battle of Kinsale, fought on December 24, 1601, in County Cork, was a pivotal engagement of the Nine Years' War where Irish forces, allied with Spanish troops, were decisively defeated by the English. The defeat marked the effective end of Gaelic resistance to English rule in Ireland and shattered the hopes of a Catholic alliance with Spain. The loss at Kinsale was a turning point that led to the collapse of the Irish confederacy and the subsequent Flight of the Earls.

    Event 1601

  • 24 December 1939

    Death of Benjamin Griffith Brawley

    Benjamin Griffith Brawley passed away on December 24, 1939, in Washington, D.C. His death marked the end of a significant chapter in African American literature, as he had contributed extensively to the understanding of Black identity through his poetry and scholarship. Brawley's legacy continues to inspire future generations of writers and poets.

    Event 1939

  • 24 December 1968

    Apollo 8 Lunar Orbit

    On December 24, 1968, the Apollo 8 mission achieved a historic milestone as its crew became the first humans to orbit the Moon. This pivotal event marked a significant achievement in space exploration, showcasing the capabilities of NASA's Apollo program. The astronauts conducted a series of critical tests and captured iconic images of Earth from lunar orbit, which inspired a sense of unity and wonder among people worldwide. Apollo 8 laid the groundwork for future lunar missions, including the eventual Moon landing.

    Event 1968

  • 24 December 1161

    The Construction of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris

    In 1161, the construction of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris began, marking a significant milestone in Gothic architecture. This iconic structure, located on the Île de la Cité in Paris, would become a symbol of medieval Paris and a masterpiece of architectural innovation. The cathedral's design, featuring flying buttresses and intricate stained glass, reflected the cultural and religious aspirations of the time, influencing both architecture and the arts.

    Event 1161

  • 24 December 1863

    Thackeray's Death

    William Makepeace Thackeray passed away on December 24, 1863, in London, England. His death marked the end of a significant literary career that had a lasting impact on English literature. Thackeray's works continue to be celebrated for their keen social insights and rich characterizations.

    Event 1863

  • 24 December 1906

    Reginald Fessenden makes the first audio radio broadcast

    On Christmas Eve 1906, the Canadian-American inventor Reginald Fessenden made the first transmission of speech and music by radio from his transmitter at Brant Rock, Massachusetts. Using a high-frequency electrical alternator to produce a continuous wave rather than the spark-gap transmitters used for Morse code, Fessenden broadcast himself playing the violin, reading from the Bible, and singing Christmas carols to surprised shipboard radio operators along the Atlantic coast. This broadcast from Brant Rock demonstrated that radio could carry the human voice and music, not just telegraphic signals.

    Event 1906

  • 24 December 1854

    The 1854 Ansei Nankai Earthquake

    On December 24, 1854 CE, a massive earthquake, estimated at magnitude 8.4, struck the Nankai region of Japan. The quake triggered a tsunami that caused widespread destruction and killed thousands. This was one of the most powerful earthquakes in Japanese history.

    Event 1854

  • 24 December 1914

    Christmas Truce

    The Christmas Truce of 1914 occurred during World War I, when soldiers along the Western Front engaged in an unofficial ceasefire from December 24 to 26. This extraordinary event saw opposing troops fraternizing, sharing gifts, and even playing football, highlighting the shared humanity amidst the horrors of war. The truce serves as a powerful symbol of peace and goodwill, reminding us of the potential for compassion even in times of conflict.

    Event 1914

  • 24 December 1971

    The Unparalleled Survival of Juliane Koepcke in the Amazon

    Following the mid-air disintegration of LANSA Flight 508 during a severe thunderstorm, 17-year-old German-Peruvian teenager Juliane Koepcke fell two miles into the Amazon rainforest of Peru while strapped to her seat row. Surviving the fall with a broken collarbone, deep gashes, and partial blindness in one eye, Koepcke found herself entirely alone in a dense, hostile jungle without food or proper shoes. Utilizing ecological knowledge learned from her biologist parents, she located a small stream and walked and waded through the water for eleven grueling days, enduring infestation by maggots and avoiding predators, until she discovered an encampment of lumbermen who rescued her.

    Event 1971
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