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 31 January 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 · 1 death anniversary · 3 world events on 31 January

Birthdays

Death anniversaries

World events on this day

  • 31 January 1990

    Opening of the First McDonald's in the Soviet Union

    In 1990, the opening of the first McDonald's in the Soviet Union in Moscow's Pushkin Square became a cultural milestone, symbolizing the triumph of Western consumer capitalism. Long lines of Soviet citizens eager to experience American fast food reflected a significant shift in cultural attitudes and economic openness following the Cold War. This event marked the beginning of a new era in Russian consumer culture, influencing dietary habits and lifestyle choices in the region.

    Event 1990

  • 31 January 1958

    Explorer 1 Launch

    Explorer 1, launched by the United States in 1958, was the nation's first satellite and played a pivotal role in the early stages of the Space Age. This satellite was instrumental in discovering the Van Allen radiation belts, which are zones of charged particles trapped by Earth's magnetic field. The successful launch of Explorer 1 not only marked a significant achievement in American space exploration but also intensified the space race, showcasing the technological capabilities of the United States during the Cold War.

    Event 1958

  • 31 January 1953

    North Sea Flood of 1953

    The North Sea Flood of 1953 occurred on January 31, affecting the coasts of the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, resulting in over 2,500 deaths. The disaster was caused by a combination of a high spring tide and a severe storm, which overwhelmed existing flood defenses. In the aftermath, significant investments were made in flood protection infrastructure, including the construction of the Delta Works in the Netherlands, which are considered engineering marvels and have greatly improved coastal safety.

    Event 1953
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