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 30 August 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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1 birthday · 5 world events on 30 August

Birthdays

World events on this day

  • 30 August 1436

    Dedication of Brunelleschi's Dome on Florence Cathedral

    On August 30, 1436, Filippo Brunelleschi's innovative dome for the Florence Cathedral (Santa Maria del Fiore) was dedicated after years of groundbreaking engineering without traditional scaffolding. The massive double-shell structure, the largest brick dome ever built at the time, symbolized Florence's Renaissance ambition and civic pride. It resolved a century-old architectural challenge and showcased new techniques in perspective, engineering, and classical revival. This achievement amid the Italian Renaissance elevated Florence as a center of innovation, influencing architecture, art, and culture across Europe.

    Event 1436

  • 30 August 1909

    Charles Doolittle Walcott Discovers the Burgess Shale

    While exploring the Canadian Rockies, Charles Doolittle Walcott discovered the Burgess Shale, a fossil deposit of extraordinary preservation from the Middle Cambrian period. The site contained exquisitely preserved soft-bodied organisms, including many bizarre and previously unknown creatures. The Burgess Shale provided a unique and invaluable window into the 'Cambrian Explosion,' a period of rapid evolutionary diversification of animal life.

    Event 1909

  • 30 August 1762

    Spanish Louisiana Established

    In 1762, Spain established Spanish Louisiana after acquiring the territory from France, significantly expanding its North American holdings. This acquisition altered the geopolitical landscape of North America, as Spain sought to consolidate its influence in the region. The establishment of Spanish Louisiana played a crucial role in shaping colonial dynamics and interactions with Indigenous populations, influencing the future of the United States.

    Event 1762

  • 30 August 2024

    SLIM Moon Lander

    In 2024, Japan's SLIM (Smart Lander for Investigating Moon) successfully achieved a precise soft landing on the Moon, overcoming initial challenges in its mission. This achievement demonstrated advancements in lunar exploration technology and Japan's capabilities in space missions. SLIM's objectives include studying the lunar surface and testing technologies for future exploration, contributing to the global understanding of the Moon's geology.

    Event 2024

  • 30 August 1587

    The Great Earthquake of 1587 in Quito

    On August 30, 1587 CE, a powerful earthquake struck the city of Quito, in the Viceroyalty of Peru (now Ecuador). The quake caused significant damage to the city's colonial buildings and was a major disaster for the Spanish settlement. This event is recorded in colonial chronicles and is one of the earliest documented earthquakes in the Andean region.

    Event 1587
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