Youssef Alaoui is an Arab-Latino, born in California. His mother is Colombiana. His father was Moroccan. The Alaoui-Fdilis are originally from Fez. His brothers and aunts and uncles and cousins are today mostly in Casablanca and Rabat. His family and heritage are an endless source of inspiration for his varied, dark, spiritual and carnal writings. He has an MFA in Poetics from New College of California. There, he studied Classical Arabic, Spanish Baroque and Contemporary Moroccan poetry. He is also well versed in the most dour and macabre literature of the 19th Century. His poems have appeared in Exquisite Corpse, 580 Split, Cherry Bleeds, Virgogray Press, Red Fez, Big Bridge, Dusie Press, Paris Lit Up, The Opiate, and nominated for a Pushcart at Full of Crow. Youssef is an original creator of the East Bay literary arts festival “Beast Crawl.” In 2012 he created Paper Press Books & Associates Publishing Company. This press offers several important books of poetry and one poetry and art compendium.
Shuffled Never Broken
Time is a collective, it moves in spirals
twisted loops in road grease
and midnight tires
Odor of sweets and malt liquor
the idea of silence hovers
under glowing cranes and back bend bridges
We take the train where cops lined youth up
we march in streets where people sleep
some sleep too long
Even if by accident
heroin dreams can’t save the Ship
she’s burning now, wave from shore
Hey you TV tower
Vollmer peak Leonids glow
pebbles skip in sleep away skies
Motorcycle kick back glitter view, beer can hand
all silver and dust where the land falls away
behold the dazzle we sometimes honor
(...)
Heartbreak and heroism burst in hardhat burrito foil
it’s the sunshine day that smacks of fault lines and blood
churning concrete and metal, gun turrets above
Civil war dead, a chocolatier, and a mayor all share the same hill
ofrendas cluster in the flats, used napkin roll, tumble weave twirl
traffic pressed plastic leavings, a zen garden for someone
Cool rain washes back anger just enough for the next time
clouds part, wet paper puddle dance it’s the new thing
there’s no stopping this melting revolution town
always shuffled, never broken
