Via Basel: The Vigil

Remembering Rosalind Al-Aswad

(died March 13, 2003)

The Vigil 

Her bedroom, coal mine dark,
cold and damp, windows
shuttered. Her breath, slow
and labored, gurgling,
stop and go.

Holding the moment still,
stoic dad, two children
embracing, waiting, tears
streaming down.
Memories flashing. 

Hours limp on. 

A convulsion, her arms
crossing her chest,
shatters the stillness.
A huge deep inhalation,
then a release. A release.

Basel Al-Aswad, father of EIL founder Chris Al-Aswad, is a yogi trapped in an Orthopedic Surgeon’s body. His loves in life include reading, hiking, enjoying nature, meditation, and spending time with his large Iraqi family. 

In Memory of Rosalind D. Al-Aswad

Via Basel: A Look Back at Rosalind Al-Aswad’s Memorial Exhibition

Al-Aswad Scholarship at the School of the Art Institute in Chicago