Ode to Dirt

Olds begins “Ode to Dirt” with an address to the dirt, followed by an apology. “Dear Dirt,” the speaker says, “I am sorry I slighted you” (Line 1). By beginning the poem with a direct address, Olds establishes a mood of intimacy typically found in letters and close conversations. However, immediately following the address is an apology, which signals that the speaker recognizes wrongdoing: ways they have “slighted” (Line 1) dirt. What follows is reasoning for why this wrongdoing might have occurred. The speaker begins by saying “I thought you were only the background” (Line 2), which is to say the afterthought or backdrop for which “the leading characters—the plants / and animals and human animals” existed (Lines 3-4). Apologetically, the speaker realizes the error of failing to see dirt as the life force behind all living elements of the earth.

To describe this transgression, the speaker uses a simile, comparing their love for the plants, animals, and human animals (rather than the dirt) to their love for the stars (rather than “the sky that gave them space / in which to shine” (Lines 6-7)).

The poem subtly shifts as the speaker then looks to the dirt and describes it as “subtle, various, / [and] sensitive” followed by the declaration, “you are the skin of our terrain” (Lines 7-8). With these lines the poem grows even more intimate; as if the speaker is suddenly holding dirt in their hand, they define the dirt as “our democracy” (Line 9). Not only is the dirt “the skin” (Line 8) upon which people walk, it also rules humankind, defining how, where and by what means people live. As a species, the dirt suddenly becomes a governing body.

This description is followed by a dramatic shift. Having fully apologized—and provided reasons for their wrongdoing—the speaker transitions from reasoning to realization: “When I understood / I had never honored you as a living / equal” (Lines 9-11), the speaker claims, immediately followed with, “I was ashamed” (Line 11). To admit shame is to seek forgiveness. This epistle to dirt is ultimately a request for pardon. However, such a request can only be asked if one is enlightened enough to realize they have been wrong. The speaker, having admitted to not having seen or understood the value of dirt, emphatically claims, “but now I can see us all, made of the / same basic materials” (Lines 14-15). Here, the poem zooms out and “us all” (Line 14) is suddenly not only humanity, but all plants, animals, and species on Earth. Citing the theory of the Big Bang and the creation of the universe, the speaker acknowledges people are “cousins of that first exploding from nothing” in this “intricate equation” (Lines 16-17) called life.

Again, the poem shifts to an intimate address, “O dirt” (Line 17)—a return to the poem’s opening: “Dear dirt” (Line 1). The speaker suddenly appeals to the dirt for help. However, the appeal for help is not for the speaker, but for the dirt: “[H]elp us find ways to serve your life” (Line 19). Turning to the dirt, the speaker asks how humans can help the dirt thrive. Throughout the poem, Olds slowly brings the speaker to the realization that humans need the dirt. This is emphasized in the following lines: “You who have brought us forth, and fed us” (Line 20). The dirt is responsible—like a mother—for birth, for flourishing, and for survival.

By transitioning the poem with the vocative exclamation, “O” (Line 18), Olds uses a particular figure of speech to apostrophize dirt. Typically used in reference to a subject—such as gods, muses, or a concept like love—the dramatic “O” (Line 18) addresses an absent subject, signaling its invocation. In “Ode to Dirt,” this figure of speech reiterates the initial address, but adds a heightened sense of urgency and emotion.

Olds concludes the poem with the image of death, how dirt will “take us in / and rotate with us, and wobble, and orbit” (Lines 21-22), so humans will be forever a part of it. Functioning as a poem of realization, epiphany, and enlightened understanding, the speaker is a voice of truth for those who do not realize how important dirt is to the survival of the human species—and all existing life. More than the ground beneath people’s feet, Olds makes the argument that dirt not only brought human beings forth, it is where they will go in death.