Nine Days

"I wander outside to watch the wisteria bloom nonchalantly along the arbor..." Here begins Catherine Hamilton's journey inspired by the poignant hours before and after the death of Karol Wojtyla. During the nine official days of mourning and the seventeen-day stay between the passing of Pope John Paul II and the election of Pope Benedict XVI, the world was on virtual pilgrimage to the Eternal City. It was during these days that Hamilton wrote this collection of fifty-one poems. Hamilton's poetic chronicle takes us to the streets of Rome, to St. Peter's Square, and to the ancient cities in Karol Wojtyla's homeland, Poland.