Dirt

“Dirt” is a choral piece spoken from the persona of a “we”—those who have worked the land without owning it. The reference to August Wilson at the start of the poem suggests that the speaker is African American, yet the ambiguity of “we” allows the reader to identify the speaker with any group who has been persecuted, enslaved, or denied the ability to own property. In “Dirt,” the speaker laments the atrocities of the past, upholds the value of the land and those who work it, and expresses resilience and a determination that “we” will be able to buy back the land and own “our dirt” again.

The first line presents a paradox: “We who gave, owned nothing” (Line 1). It establishes a truth that seems out of place. In a capitalist economy, those who give typically get something in return. Only those who own things can give them away. To give without owning and to give without getting something in return, violates the rules of the marketplace. This signals that the speaker’s situation is in violation of the norm. It also suggests that those who “gave” were not giving material goods but instead giving of their time and energy, the work of their bodies.