Testament VII: Such a Night as This

Memory and reflection shape Such a Night as This, Rashid Darden’s penultimate volume in The Testaments 1995–2025. The poems return to familiar people, places, and emotions with the perspective that only time can provide. Rather than seeking resolution, they linger over the complexities of love, friendship, and the lives we remember.

Positioned near the conclusion of The Testaments, this collection reveals a poet increasingly drawn to quiet observation and emotional nuance. It includes the title poem, “Such a Night as This,” first performed during Voices from the Black: LGBTQIA+, presented as part of Black Theatre Network’s 2020 Black Theatre Week.

One life. Eight books. Thirty years of poetry.