Question

what was the meaning of Testimonial by Rita Dove

Answer 1

Yahoo answers: The theme of Rita Dove's Testimonial is that if you accept the world, it will accept you.

Dove remembers being young, and simply being overwhelmed by how much pleasure is to be had by simply allowing the world to be enjoyable:

I caught my breath and called that life,
swooned between spoonfuls of lemon sorbet.

She then says that it is because she is willing to accept pleasure that she still finds being alive so pleasurable:

I gave my promise to the world,
and the world followed me here