Braveheart Made Me a Bard (Part 3) – Mad Chaos: February 14, 1999
A battle-cry sonnet pours out after a Braveheart night, followed by a short poem about being told he cannot be a bard. Then Shawn tries to correct his Shakespearean spelling.
Awake All Night to Hand In a Form (Part 3) – Mad Chaos: February 12, 1999
With the sonnet contrasts done, Tony forces himself to stay up so he can hand in a form in town. By evening he is a sleepless wreck with a new mystery call to ponder.
Long Bitter Love Down the Phone (Part 2) – Mad Chaos: February 12, 1999
The explanation of Tony’s new sonnet continues, from the vines of early romance to the late-night calls that kept it alive far too long. He ends by comparing it with an older poem.
A Love Greater Than Love (Part 1) – Mad Chaos: February 12, 1999
Tony stays up until dawn finishing a new sonnet for his Lost Years series. He then asks, line by line, whether the feeling behind it was love or something louder.
Hiring a Nintendo for Lyssa (Part 2) – Mad Chaos: February 11, 1999
A console rental becomes Tony’s pet plan to cheer Lyssa up. Later he turns to the glimpses of his neighbor and a sonnet inspired by them.
Bench Press Proves I Am Back (Part 5) – Mad Chaos: February 10, 1999
Tony learns that gossip travels fast, mistakes Wednesday for Friday, and finds his chest strong again at the gym. Back home he tallies his sonnets and tweaks an old couplet.
The Shower Is My Real Office (Part 1) – Mad Chaos: February 10, 1999
Tony explains why his best ideas arrive under the shower, grumbles about interruptions and takes stock of his poetry so far.
A Knight Armed With Words (Part 2) – Mad Chaos: January 15, 1999
Tony explains his knight sonnet, traces how his poetry grew since July, and ends with a lost molar and a sweet phone moment.
The Lost Years Wear A Crown (Part 1) – Mad Chaos: January 15, 1999
A midnight entry unpacks a sonnet where time rules a medieval realm, then introduces a second sonnet about a knight who writes.
Two Sonnets and a Stubborn Pen (Part 1) – Mad Chaos: January 5, 1999
Tony skips the computer games for poetry and wrestles two sonnets onto the page, one of them written through the eyes of the girl who got away.
Three Sonnets Ready for Christmas (Part 1) – Mad Chaos: December 16, 1998
A sonnet series for Lyssa comes together, each poem explained and the whole set planned as a gift, while real life offers lunch dates and weekend plans.
Inventing My Own Sonnet at Dawn (Part 2) – Mad Chaos: December 15, 1998
Before sunrise Tony works out a sonnet structure he can call his own, closes the book on an old flame, and answers the dawn with a poem and its meaning.
A Sonnet About Time Misbehaving (Part 1) – Mad Chaos: December 12, 1998
Reading Shakespeare in the small hours sparks a new poetic style built on nature wearing human faces. The result is a fourteen line sonnet about how time plays tricks on us.
Arguing With Plato Over an Apple (Part 2) – Mad Chaos: December 3, 1998
A sleepy day of phone calls turns into a deep dive through the encyclopedia, where Tony decides he disagrees with Plato about where inspiration comes from.