In “Ode to Dirt,” dirt symbolizes much more than dust swept up off the floor. As Olds uses the term, dirt expands throughout the poem from “only the background” (Line 2) to the overlooked “sky” (Line 6) until the speaker comes to the deep realization that dirt is the “skin of our terrain” (Line 8) and “our democracy” (Line 9). Dirt encompasses the very foundation for which life is built upon—and for which all life on earth can survive and live.

Yet, by using the word “dirt” instead of “soil” or “earth,” Olds creates an empathy in the speaker who overlooked and devalued dirt for so long. The speaker, like most common people, failed to realize the importance of dirt. Dirt becomes a symbol for human shortcomings and lack of appreciation for the earth for without it, people would never have come into existence.

Elevating dirt to the very life force that breathes air into lungs, dirt becomes a larger symbol for earth and environmentalism. Food requires soil—dirt—in which to grow. Therefore, dirt, along with water and sun, becomes the most valuable aspect of the world.