Until Tomorrow Comes

by LaDonna M. Cook

Author LaDonna Marie wants to introduce through her poetry a journey of growth and awareness with different life experiences. She shares her poetry in efforts to spark reflections and enlighten the reader on your own journey as well. Look inside and answer these questions. Are you feeling lost in some areas of your life? Are you on the verge of giving up? Are you seeking to become stronger and independent? Are you seeking a deeper connection in your spirituality? In answering these questions you may find some come instantly and some may take time. So Until Tomorrow Comes let’s approach each a day with a positive outlook while finding yourself.

84 pages, Paperback

First published September 25, 2013

About the author

LaDonna M. Cook is an Author, Writer, Poet, and Motivational Speaker. Born in Mississippi and now lives in GA. She published her first poem in anthology: Whispers with The League of American Poets in 2007. In 2010 she self published her first book Expressions of the Mind, Body & Soul. She received a Certificate of Congratulation from Congressman Bennie Thompson 2nd district of MS. She was inducted Who's Who in Black Mississippi in 2012. In 2013 she released her 2nd book Until Tomorrow Comes. She is apart of the Sibella Poetry Magazine for 2014, and also she is in Anthology: The Gospel According to Poetry. UTC was awarded Honorable Mention in the 2014 Paris Book Festival and 2014 DJ Gatsby Book Club Literary Award in Poetry. She is a Finalists in the 2015 London Diva Author International Women's Award.

Reviews

[T.R. Horne · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Received this poetry book from the author for review*

Cook has a unique voice in her poetry that threatens the reader with bouts of self-discovery, reminders of love lost and healing wounds. In her poetry book, Until Tomorrow Comes, she touches on the very fabric of life using the strings of death, love, life, religion and self-actualization to weave her personal story. As a reader you journey into an intelligent woman's mind and follow her life in stages. The first stage (under the title "Lost")is one of utter discontent with who she is and what she feels she deserves. It shows the struggle in becoming a woman even when given the wrong tools, or no tools, to do so properly. Two of my favorites in this section are "Help Me Unpack" and "I Feel Like I was Alone". The second stage (Lovers Scorned) shows how displaced love can bend a person until they break and sever so badly that they are forced to rebuild from sheer nothingness. I felt horrible reading some of this section because the tragedy of learning that you are worth something after being used up...is one that is hard to forget. Read "Mascara Dripping" to get the full scope. The next section (Encouragement) shows the reader the next phase of the writer's life. You see that she is encouraging herself to be better, want more and live up to her own expectation. My favorites in this section are "Encouragement for the Child" and "Heal Me, Lord".

The next section, Eyes Wide Open In Love, is where you start to see the butterfly emerge from the cocoon of self-hate into one of self-love. I really enjoyed "Today, Time Has Stopped" because it reminded me of perfect wedding vows. The secondary choices in this section are "Fun Times" and "It Feels Good to the Soul" because they made me feel so free and light. I imagined myself in a field of daisies, spinning, laughing and happy. It definitely took me to a place I needed and wanted to go. Then the reader finally hits the pinnacle of this lifelong journey with the last section aptly titled "I've Arrived". There are so many gems in this section that I could make a necklace and wear it around my neck for weeks! This was a perfect ending to the journey with poems like "Passion" and "Strong One" but there are many more that readers will love and identify with before reaching The Closure which is a short statement from the author about her own legacy and what she's learned. This is a deeply satisfying personal journey that is capable of being felt on a number of levels, whether you've loved hard and lost it or ventured towards loving yourself and a higher being.

- T.R. Horne, author of Breaking Mobius and Crazy Dirty Love, blogger on Raging Book Reviews at www.ragingbookreviews.wordpress.com

[Luís Branco · Rating 5 out of 5]

It a great book, the kind you take to read and go on until you have finishes in one go. I like the pet style, she has a theopoetic characteristic but a very good balance with issues related to life. I love the first poem! I do recommend the book and the writer!

[African Americans on the Move Book Club · Rating 5 out of 5]

I gave this book a 5 because something about this book touched my heart, alot of the poetry felt like the writer was speaking only to me, I felt like this book was deep and the poems that were written felt real life situations like the writer went through what she wrote about, My favorite poem happened to be one of the shortest but had a big impact on me because I could feel every word on the page, the tittle to that poem is My eyes are open. I have been through a lot in my life so I was able to relate to this book, the book had so much feeling and inspiration i loved it and I'm sure this book is going to touch someone that needs to be lifted, the poems in this book are one's I will reflect on when I am feeling down.

Tamala Hollis
AAMBC Reviewer

[Untamed Untamed · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a lover of poetry and this book truly warmed my heart. You can sense that the poetess has a truly ordained spirit to deliver words that are refreshing, rejuvenating, motivating, loving and kind. The book covers several facets of life and showcases the sweeter softer side of love as well as the harsh realities of losing yourself in it. Poems like She is Standing Here in the Mirror delivered a powerful feeling that ministered to my soul and I would highly recommend this book for anyone especially those who need uplifting. This book was a pure gem and I look forward to reading more works by this poetess.

[Rajeev Kurapati · Rating 5 out of 5]

Until Tomorrow Comes triggers so many raw emotions as LaDonna Marie tells a tale of struggle, love lost, love found and personal redemption. Through her impassioned poetry, LaDonna paints a descriptive picture of how complex "love" can be juxtaposed to how simple true love and contentment really is. Readers will travel on a journey through darkness and come out the other side to find the light of love and personal discovery. If you love the rhythms and inspiration of poetry, you will truly enjoy this read.

[Alex Apostol · Rating 2 out of 5]

I definitely enjoyed the last half of the book of poems over the first half. The beginning was a bit too down for me. The subject of every poem seemed to be about a lack of self worth and an obsession with finding a good boyfriend, but only getting bad ones. It seemed a little juvenile, like a teenager complaining about boy problems. There were too many of these for me to enjoy it. It seems like if the poems were read aloud by the author individually at a poetry reading, they would make more of an impact than me reading them to myself. The last half of the book wasn't as depressing as the first. It was more about finding self worth and value, seeing the inner beauty, finding love, and even a little about the joys of having children. It seems the poems in the last half of the book were written in more of a classic style, which I liked, as opposed to the first half which was more modern and casual, with some errors and slang. It's not what I normally look for in my poetry, but I can see how it would appeal to some more modern poets. I have to admit that with most of the poems I was forcing myself to finish them and not looking to forward to starting the next one, but if I was in a cool coffee house and they were being read to me with personal emotions running high from the poet, I would've really enjoyed them I'm sure. I guess a book of poetry is just not for me.

[UnControlled Pen · Rating 4 out of 5]

LaDonna Marie is a poet that strives to give you a spiritual uplifting jolt of confident. She writes poems about her personal struggles with self-esteem and finding a place in the world. Many will find her story very relatable, and enjoy the beautifulness of the poems themselves. One poem in particular is “The Mask’ “you don’t see the heartache and loneliness that came with this mask I chose to wear all because the of fear” She want you to know its okay to be who you are inside and out.

Another poem to look out for is “Conversations with a Child” here is a verse—“Don’t you hang you head down in shame ’cause of where you live and what you don’t have; just tell them who your father is, God almighty, with his promises you are to have treasures and wealth and be the lender and not the borrower.” Her poems will help lift you up as you try to persevere through your own self esteem problems.