Testament I: The Life and Death of Savion Cortez

First published in 2011 as a companion to the Potomac University Series (Lazarus, Covenant, and Epiphany), The Life and Death of Savion Cortez now stands as a reworked introduction to Rashid Darden’s decades-spanning Testaments collection. It is a volume shaped by first love, first heartbreak, and the shock of self-recognition. These poems capture the intensity of early desire and the thrill and fear of being seen. Darden’s voice is immediate, romantic, and unguarded. Readers meet a speaker learning who he is through love and loss. This book sets the emotional foundation for everything that follows.