Hearing Eye

These thirty sonnets were written over a period of five years when, following a major illness, the poet’s mother was moved from a flat in Norwich into a ‘home’ in the same road as her daughter in Kent. The poems record (with fragments of French songs) the final years of a close and intense relationship.

"These are poems that combine understated verbal skill and the exploration of rich, though sometimes painful experience. Highly recommended."

"Within the cocoon of impending grief, Hamilton skilfully wrestles with the suddenness of bereavement, which coincides with memories of 9/11 and the anniversary of a departed sister."

"An important thread is the love of literature and song, especially French songs which mother and daughter share. Singing, sometimes with the words of songs, underlies the whole sequence and it is an important element in the sense of celebration which counterpoints illness, loss and grieving. Sonnets for my Mother marks the debut of a poet of considerable talent."