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 26 May 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 · 2 death anniversaries · 7 world events on 26 May

Birthdays

Death anniversaries

World events on this day

  • 26 May 1665

    Abduction Attempt of Elizabeth Malet and Tower Imprisonment

    On 26 May 1665, Rochester attempted to abduct the wealthy heiress Elizabeth Malet from her carriage at Charing Cross, London, intending to force a marriage that would secure her fortune. He was arrested and briefly imprisoned in the Tower of London, a scandal that shocked even the permissive Restoration court. After his release and a period of military service to prove his worth, the king eventually sanctioned their marriage, turning the abduction into one of the era's most audacious rakish exploits.

    Event 1665

  • 26 May 1967

    The Beatles Release Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

    The release of The Beatles' album 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' in 1967 marked a watershed moment in music history. This album is celebrated for its innovative studio techniques, concept album format, and genre-blending styles, which challenged traditional music norms. Its cultural impact extended beyond music, influencing art, fashion, and the counterculture movement of the 1960s.

    Event 1967

  • 26 May 735

    The Death of Bede

    The renowned Anglo-Saxon monk and scholar Bede passed away in 735 in Jarrow, England. He is best known for his work 'Ecclesiastical History of the English People,' which laid the foundation for English historical writing. Bede's contributions to theology, history, and education had a lasting impact on the development of English literature and the understanding of the Christian faith in England.

    Event 735

  • 26 May 1637

    Pequot War Massacre at Mystic Fort

    The Pequot War Massacre at Mystic Fort in 1637 was a devastating event where English colonists and their Native American allies set fire to a Pequot village, killing an estimated 400 to 700 Pequot people, mostly women, children, and the elderly. This massacre was part of a broader conflict between the Pequot tribe and English settlers, reflecting the violent struggles for land and power in early colonial America. The aftermath significantly weakened the Pequot tribe and altered the balance of power in New England.

    Event 1637

  • 26 May 1976

    Ebola Virus First Identified

    The Ebola virus was first identified in 1976 during simultaneous outbreaks in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo (then Zaire), marking a significant moment in medical science. This new class of hemorrhagic viral disease was characterized by severe symptoms and high mortality rates, raising alarms about its potential for outbreaks. The identification of Ebola spurred extensive research into viral diseases, public health responses, and the importance of understanding zoonotic diseases, which are transmitted from animals to humans.

    Event 1976

  • 26 May 1868

    Britain Holds Its Last Public Execution

    Michael Barrett was publicly hanged outside Newgate Prison in London after being convicted for his part in the Clerkenwell explosion. He became the last person publicly executed in Britain. Subsequent executions were conducted inside prison walls under legislation passed that year.

    Event 1868

  • 26 May 2013

    The Miraculous Deep-Sea Survival of Harrison Okene

    When the tugboat Jascon-4 capsized and sank in a heavy storm off the coast of Nigeria, ship cook Harrison Okene was trapped inside an inverted bathroom as the vessel settled on the ocean floor at a depth of 100 feet. In complete, freezing darkness, wearing only his underwear, Okene survived for 60 hours inside a precarious four-foot air pocket that was progressively depleting of oxygen while carbon dioxide levels rose dangerously. Listening to the sounds of predatory fish eating his deceased crew members in the flooded cabins nearby, Okene maintained extraordinary mental clarity and deep spiritual faith until South African saturation divers accidentally discovered him alive during a body recovery operation.

    Event 2013
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