Reviewed by Angel Scales
James Cagney, an Oakland native, is an award-winning poet whose work has appeared at poetry festivals and in dozens of publications. All his work thus far have been met with overwhelming praise, citing his talent for storytelling.
Ghetto Koans, a personal archive by James Cagney, is a collection of work that takes the reader on a psychedelic journey through the Oakland experience. Koan is a Japanese word that means “the inadequacy of logical reasoning and to provoke enlightenment.” No set genre describes the collection of words that make up Ghetto Koans, as each body of work is a standalone piece.
There is a clear connection between pieces, and each one provides a new mood, and a new feeling. Considering the many different poems, I decided to analyze two specific pieces: Ultraviolet and U Get Used 2 The Craziest Shit.
Ultraviolet is a short love letter written for the city of Oakland. Cagney’s fondness is felt immediately as he writes “My heart melts in your palm, Oakland.” This sort of love is different from any other, it can’t be romantic nor platonic. This love plays on nostalgia, rather than Oakland being a physical being you can grab hold of, it’s an experience. It’s the weather, it’s the look of the city, it’s his own memories. This piece relies heavily on personal narrative, creating a sense of vulnerability with the author.
U Get Used 2 The Craziest Shit is a longer piece than the aforementioned poem. This one seems to be referring to a routine night in Oakland, though the description of said night is unique.
Cagney writes, “impotent teens jacked semi-automatic hard-ons into virgin night thighs freckled with stars.” We as readers understand that these are young people with dangerous weapons, ready to rob people, though the description is akin to a person’s first sexual experience. Further down, Cagney says “I accept the caged dog bark of drunk, angry niggas like spontaneous prayers.” The acceptance of the unruly nature of his city perfectly reflects his love for Oakland.
Both pieces showed love for Oakland in two different ways—a confession of love, and an example of unconditional love. Though different, the connection is clear. Circling back to the title of this book, Koans are used to provoke enlightenment, Ghetto is a word used to describe an underdeveloped and neglected area, or how a person looks/presents themselves. Cagney uses “ghetto” (a word often used against Black people) to make a beautiful collection of words that -arguably- show the many sides of Black life in Oakland, pleasantly giving a different meaning to the word.