Ode to Dirt

Metaphor, or the direct comparison of two things without using the words “like,” “as,” or “than,” is used multiple times throughout “Ode to Dirt,” signifying the importance of the subject. Olds begins the poem with an apology quickly followed by what the speaker thought dirt was (“only the background” (Line 2)). However, in Lines 8-9, Olds includes two metaphors one right after the other. Because of their strength and power, these metaphors contrast with the previous lines in which Olds describes how she misunderstood dirt. The first metaphor follows the words “[s]ubtle, various / sensitive” (Lines 7-8), when Olds declares, “you are the skin of our terrain” (Line 8). Saying something is something else—rather than saying something is like something else—establishes stark clarity. The speaker knows exactly what dirt is. Dirt is the “skin” (Line 8) of the earth’s body upon which all living creatures walk; dirt, like human skin epidermis, is the earth’s largest organ.

Immediately following this metaphor, Olds includes a second one: “[Y]ou’re our democracy” (Line 9). Here, dirt is further elevated to the very body that governs societies. These metaphors function as a crux or turning point—sometimes referred to as a volta in poetry (and particularly sonnets)—in the poem. Now the speaker understands the importance, meaning, and necessity of dirt. The rest of the poem follows, continuing in this vein of clearly seeing dirt, and earth, for all it serves, feeds, and sustains.

The ode is a poetic form dating back to ancient times. Originally, the ode was written as heroic, often used to applaud or elevate those who were considered greater than human, such as athletes and statesmen (Strand, Mark, and Eavan Boland. The Making of a Poem: A Norton Anthology of Poetic Forms. New York: W.W. Norton, 2000.). While the form has shifted over time, elements of it remain the same to this day. The address, for instance, is apparent in Olds’s poem as she begins with “Dear dirt” (Line 1).

As a literary device, the ode is a mode used to celebrate, elevate or applaud someone or something. By celebrating dirt, Olds chooses to elevate an often looked-down-on subject and through the course of the poem explores its importance. By writing an ode to dirt—a characteristically unheroic subject—Olds turns the poetic form on its head, challenging its tradition. However, by the end of the poem when the speaker states, “but now I can see us all, made of the / same basic materials” (Lines 14-15), dirt is elevated to a place of heroism for it “brought us forth, and fed us” (Line 19), and without dirt nothing living would exist.