Poem 134: Ode to Dirt Dear dirt, I am sorry I slighted you,
I thought that you were only the background
for the leading characters—the plants
and animals and human animals.
It’s as if I had loved only the stars
and not the sky which gave them space
in which to shine. Subtle, various,
sensitive, you are the skin of our terrain,
you’re our democracy. When I understood
I had never honored you as a living
equal, I was ashamed of myself,
as if I had not recognized
a character who looked so different from me,
but now I can see us all, made of the
same basic materials—
cousins of that first exploding from nothing—
in our intricate equation together. O dirt,
help us find ways to serve your life,
you who have brought us forth, and fed us,
and who at the end will take us in
and rotate with us, and wobble, and orbit.
—Sharon Olds



In short constructed response, discuss the use of sound devices that you see in this poem. Use the terms you've studied in class (alliteration, assonance, consonance, onomatopoeia, iamb, trochee, dactyl, anapest, end rhyme, slant rhyme, rhyme scheme) to explain how sound is used to emphasize the meaning of the poem.

Use 2 sound device terms to help explain the meaning of the poem.

You should have:

* a topic sentence

* 2 quotes from the poem

* explanation for each quote

*a concluding statement

Make sure you proofread before you submit and use correct grammar, usage, and mechanics.