Ode to Dirt

“Ode to Dirt” was written by American poet Sharon Olds and published in her collection Odes (2016). Written as an address to dirt itself in the poetic form of the ode, “Ode to Dirt” takes the reader on an environmental journey as Olds explores the value of an often-overlooked basic element of the earth: dirt. This ode is an example of Olds’s poetic subject matter, which is often controversial, unlikely, and thought-provoking.

Sharon Olds—best known for her Pulitzer Prize winning collection Stag’s Leap (2012)—often writes about largely unconsidered topics. For instance, she often writes about the female body: In her collection Odes, she includes a poem called “Ode to the Hymen,” and in Stag’s Leap she includes a poem called “Poem for the Breasts.” These topics, while largely having to do with the sexual and physical body, are examples of how Olds challenges typical topics discussed in poetry. “Ode to Dirt” follows suit, as Olds glorifies something often considered a nuisance—when it is given any consideration at all.

“Ode to Dirt” is a comparatively recent addition to Olds’s poetic works. It arrived in the wake of climate change, the 2015 Paris Agreement and Climate Accords, and is Olds’s answer to a pressing social and environmental question: How can humans and Earth live together in peace?

Poet Biography

Sharon Olds (1942- ) is a contemporary poet who often writes emotional, raw, and honest, but widely praised and read by all audiences, first-person narrative poems. Born in San Francisco, California, Olds was raised in Berkeley. When discussing her upbringing, Olds describes being raised as a “hellfire Calvinist” within a strict religious environment (“Sharon Olds: Blood, sweat and fears.” 2011. Independent.co.uk.). Her childhood—riddled with censorship, abuse, and her father’s alcoholism—later became the inspiration for many of her candid, emotional poems.

From grades 6-12, Olds attended an all-girls school on the east coast where she studied English and creative writing. For college, Olds attended Stanford University and earned her Ph.D. from Columbia.

Olds, who writes about controversial topics such as sex, abuse, and “feminine topics” (such as her children), faced initial pushback which extends to this day. In 1980, she published her first collection of poetry, Satan Says. Many collections followed; however, Olds continually faced criticism that her poems were too sexual, too narcissistic, or superficial.

Married in 1968, Olds mothered two children and divorced 29 years later in 1997. This divorce served as the backbone for her most notable collection of poetry, Stag's Leap. Published in 2012 but written in 1997 following her divorce, the collection won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry and the T.S. Eliot Prize for Poetry, which was the first award ever given to an American woman

From 1998-2000 Olds served as the New York State Poet Laureate. Today, she teaches creative writing at New York University and resides in New Hampshire. She is the author of 12 books of poetry.

Poem Text

Olds, Sharon. “Ode to Dirt.” 2016. Library of Congress.

Summary

“Ode to Dirt” begins as an address in which the speaker directly speaks to dirt, considers dirt, and comes to the realization that they have overlooked dirt and taken it for granted (Line 1). Apologizing, the speaker claims that they didn’t notice dirt or recognize its importance; they thought dirt was just “the background / for the leading characters” (Lines 2-3) to exist. Recognizing this mistake, the speaker turns to the dirt and describes its features: “subtle, various, / sensitive” (Lines 7-8). Suddenly, the speaker understands something new. They reach a deep realization mid-way through the poem that dirt is not only the backdrop of life, but life itself.

Following this realization, the poem’s tone and mood turn as the speaker begins honoring dirt as a fundamental element of the earth, for dirt—or earth—makes up all of humans. At this point, “Ode to Dirt” expands outward as the speaker evokes the Big Bang, or the creation of the universe.

Dramatically apostrophizing—an address to a thing, idea, or dead/missing person—dirt by directly addressing it with “O dirt” (Line 17), the poem moves into a plea as the speaker asks dirt how humans can help save it. The poem ends with the speaker full of gratitude for dirt. They speak not only for themselves, but for all of humanity, and ask how humans can better cherish and support this element that allows for growth, thriving, existence, and endurance.