Tomorrow Is Beautiful

by Sarah Crossan

Sometimes it's hard to find the right words. This poetry anthology provides the antidote, offering calm, hope and peace to all.

Focusing on positivity, this is the perfect collection to dip into whenever you need a boost. Containing a selection of classic poems from Langston Hughes, Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson and Christina Rossetti, as well as contemporary poems chosen by Sarah Crossan – the go-to verse novelist in the UK – this beautiful book will lift your spirits time and time again. An essential read and the perfect gift for anyone in need of comfort, joy and hope.

Genres: Poetry, Nonfiction, Irish Literature

247 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 30, 2021

About the author

Sarah Crossan is Irish. She graduated with a degree in Philosophy and Literature before training as an English and Drama teacher at Cambridge University and worked to promote creative writing in schools before leaving teaching to write full time.

She completed her Masters in Creative Writing at the University of Warwick in 2003 and in 2010 received an Edward Albee Fellowship for writing.

She currently lives in NYC.

Reviews

[Rania T · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good mixture of poems in this anthology. Crossan's annotations at times also are particularly insightful.

[Books_Above · Rating 5 out of 5]

TOMORROW IS BEAUTIFUL
Sarah Crossan

be­yond the wall of now,
to­mor­row is wait­ing.

its light is long­ing to find you;

look for its glow
in the cor­ner you had for­got­ten.

be­yond the cold brick of today
to­mor­row knows bet­ter.

it is waf­fles and black­ber­ries,
tea and but­tered cake,

it is a robin on your win­dowsill,
his puffed red belly striv­ing for song.

be­yond the hard si­lence of here,
to­mor­row is beck­on­ing.

it is an un­ex­pected love let­ter.
it is a long kiss.

it is not cry­ing,
not al­ways cry­ing.

be­cause
to­mor­row is beau­ti­ful.

to­mor­row is beau­ti­ful.



I don't know excacly what to say. I mean.
Its anthology of poems. You may like some of them. And some don't. I think Sarah summed it up just perfectly.

"As a warn­ing, you will not nec­es­sar­ily con­nect to all the poems I have se­lected. A per­son’s taste in po­etry is as per­sonal as their taste in music or food. Just be­cause I adore pis­ta­chios doesn’t mean you should, and that’s per­fectly OK. So for­age for the words in this book that fill your heart, and ig­nore those that don’t speak to you."

For me it was good. I think that's all that matters.
There was a lot of really good and thought provoking poems, but I think that the following one really suits me and hits hard.



WAITING
Joshua Cullen

From trea­sured times of being young
To mak­ing plans through­out the year,
Back then, as soon as the day was done,
To­mor­row had al­ways seemed so clear.

And so the year had come to pass
When life had changed for you and me,
We thought these times would never last,
But now that’s just a dis­tant dream

The achieve­ments you made, they took you some­where,
From the very same path that takes you back home,
But now if you feel that this path leads you nowhere,
Just know that you’re not the only one.

To find the light in the dark­est days,
Your friends were there to give you the strength,
But now if you feel that you’ve drifted away,
Just know that, some­day, you’ll meet them again.

I know that it’s easy for me to say,
And I can­not speak for every­one,
But al­though that these times are here to stay,
There will be bet­ter things to come.

For now, I’ll watch the sun de­scend
Until I drift away, and dream
Of bet­ter times to­wards the end,
In which we hope to fi­nally reach.

[Robin Bernhart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of these poems were nice, but I was a little annoyed by the editor herself. There was a lot of her own stuff mixed in and the little intros gave me a “how can I make this about me?” impression. Not really impressed by most of the poems… Won’t read again.

[Michelle (Fluttering Butterflies) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a beautiful collection of poetry.

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tomorrow is Beautiful by Sarah Crossan
5⭐️♥️

If you haven’t read any of Sarah Crossan’s books then you are in for a treat . This is a collection of poems with little anecdotes that will entertain,give joy and make you smile . Some oldies that you will remember from childhood and some newbies that will resonate particularly in the times we are in . I read this on borrow box but already on the lookout for a hard copy to flick through . During Covid lockdown while out walking with the boys and if we came to a crossroads they would roll their eyes ,as I would inevitably quote the infamous Robert Frost poem . Delighted this was included in Sarah’s collection along with many of her own work.

[Dasha Romanova · Rating 4 out of 5]

I set myself the goal this year, of reading books that have been gifted to me. This is the first of that list.

I think an anthology of poems like this one by Crossan makes a beautiful gift. It’s uplifting yet heartbreaking. It makes you see that sadness and hope are universal but it does so, in such a beautifully personal way. Like most poetry, reading this anthology aloud was most rewarding.

I have many favourite pages/poems/stanzas but the following stood out to me most:

‘Love is enough: though the world be a-waning,
And the woods have no voice but the voice of complaining,
Though the sky be too dark for dim eyes to discover
The gold-cups and daisies fair blooming thereunder,
Though the hills be held shadows, and the sea a dark wonder
And this day draw a veil over all deeds pass’s over,
Yet their hands shall not tremble, their feet shall not falter;
The void shall not weary, the fear shall not alter
These lips and these eyes of the loved and the lover.’

From Love is Enough by William Morris.

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is A Stunning collection of fabulous poems for all times, needs and occasions. Great for the classroom or bedside table. They'll be something in here you read, love and treasure.

[Siegrist · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sarah Crossan is a force for good in poetry. Her social realist verse novels are sublime. This is a lovely collection of Sarah’s favourite poems and the reasons she loves them.

[Donna (will never finish her TBR) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn’t really connect or understand a lot of these poems. I think I only really liked three or four of them.

[Julia Trykowska · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Tomorrow will be beautiful
For tomorrow comes out of the lake"
-Hope, Emanuel Carnevali

Tomorrow is Beautiful is a fantastic compilation of poems. It has, in fact, uplifted my spirits reading this, and has made me discover many, new, wonderful poets. Sarah Crossan's own poetry was wonderful in its own right - Notes from the Pit was the one I liked the most.

Here are some of my favourite poems from this collection:
Bud - Kerrie O'Brien
Failing and Falling - Jack Gilbert
Farewell - Anne Brontë
It Will Come to You - Anthony Anaxagorou
[i carry your heart with me(i carry it in] - E. E. Cummings ~ My second favourite
Life - Charlotte Brontë ~ My fifth favourite
Invictus - William Ernest Henley ~ My personal favourite
Still I Rise - Maya Angelou
Rise - Jay Hulme
Hold Your Own - Kae Tempest
My Brilliant Image - Hafiz ~ My third favourite
The Release - Edwin Morgan
'Hope' is the thing with feathers - Emily Dickinson
Shake My Future - Dorothea Smartt
The Rainy Day - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow ~ My forth favourite

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful collection of poetry, curated by one of my favourite authors; Sarah Crossan.

Some of these poems made me cry, some made me smile, some made me contemplative, some gave me hope.

I’m truly glad I read this as it has introduced me to some astounding poetry and poets. I regretted borrowing a copy from the library as I was eager to mark out my most loved poems that I want to revisit… I have rectified this by asking for my own copy for Christmas 🙃

I’m not normally one for including quotes in my reviews, but I couldn’t resist sharing Walt Whitman’s answer to the meaning of life:

“That you are here - that your life exists and identity.
That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.”

[Oyanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully compiled, uplifting and hopeful collection I can see myself returning to again and again. It encompasses poets both contemporary and classic, united by a central theme. Crossan's notes are a nice personal touch and serve as a gentle guide, providing some context for the poems while leaving plenty of space for the reader's own interpretation. Very accessible and reader-friendly, this would make a lovely gift for someone who feels intimidated by poetry or doesn't know where to start.

[Tabrizia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sarah Crossan has done it again by creating an amazing anthology of amazing poetry (including some of her own) that are full with heart and inspiration, something we definitely we need in the times that we live in now. This is definitely a collection that I will return to over and over, which I believe is the entire point of this collection. 

[Sabrina Carbone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow.

This book was so beautiful. I was not ready for it to end. This book presents no pressure. It is that low maintenance friend you can always come back to, and will welcome you with open arms. It lovingly whispers to the weary heart seeking encouragement, “take what you need.” This is definitely one of my comfort poetry collections.

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not sure this collection is meant to be binged but binged I have and I'm glad if it. There are many beautiful poems in here - some known and some wonderfully unknown. I love Sarah Crossan and I really enjoyed her accompanying notes for the poems she has chosen. I hope to pick the book up several times in the future for some poetry therapy.

[Kristina W · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have never been a poetry fan, but between reading some of Sarah's other works and 'the pandemic', this collection caught my eye. While I connected to some more than others, the overall experience was positive!

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

a very lovely collection of poems. Quite a few have featured in anthologies I've read fairly recently which is why this gets 4 stars rather than 5, definitely will pick up a physical copy of this to flick through whenever I need a pick me up!

[Kaci.e0311 · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a great book if you're into poetry. With varied lengths of poems from a variety of poets, it's really good. Although, for me personally, some of the longer poems were hard for me to read as I haven't read a lot of poetry before.

[zulaykha · Rating 3 out of 5]

thank you, bloomsbury for a copy of this book i’m not a fan of poetry but I LOVED the ones sarah write. this woman was my childhood & i was honoured to receive a copy of her works. absolutely beautiful.

[Harriet · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found this selection largely underwhelming - I am all for poetry anthologies designed around emotional solace and support, but many of the options here felt less like poems and more like being told to cheer up and power through in a very didactic and trite way.

[Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did like this.
Some of the poems spoke to me more than others. There were quite a few that I just didn’t ‘get’, but many more that made me think, moved me, made me nostalgic, and inspired me.

[Leigh]

Lovely collection & sits near by bed for whenever I need it x

[Lea Klein · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most heartwarming and inspiring collections of poetry I’ve ever seen ♥️

[Abby · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 | This was a lovely poetry collection. I didn’t connect with every poem, but I flagged several for re-reading. And I enjoyed the overall hopeful message of the book.

[Janette · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely collection of poems to encourage you to feel more positive about life.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

so many great poets in this compilation, I definitely want to look into their other works. and I loved the annotations to give a bit more interest to each poem

[Abbie Luck · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute tonic to the soul whilst going through any kind of darkness. What a blessing this book is.

[Miss Jools · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a great selection for me, the duds far outweigh anything good but I do like the theme and little intros to each poem. Too much of the editor's own stuff though.

[Nimra CHAUDHRY · Rating 5 out of 5]

Peaceful and calming. A needed book in your library, it talks about every feeling that could drag you down and how to turn it into a strength.

[Georgi_Lvs_Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

A selection of poems chosen by the author herself as well as a few of her own thrown in.

A good selection, I enjoyed the second half of the book more.