Brown Dirt Poem by Harlan Simantel

(in memory of my dad, a farmer and gardener)

It's where we all come from -
brown dirt.
Africans, Asians, Europeans,
people of all colors -
from brown dirt.

We eat fruits and vegetables -
green beans, red onions, pink grapefruit,
white potatoes -
which all grow out of -
brown dirt.

The animals we eat - cattle, chickens, sheep -
they eat the oats and grains and grass
that grow out of -
brown dirt.

Flowers in all their variety and multi-colored glory,
leaves of varied shapes, sizes and designs,
and the trees that grow them come from -
brown dirt.

What is more valuable than
diamonds, silver and gold?
It's the humble substance
that gives us life -
Brown dirt.

We walk on it and treat it like dirt.
It doesn't get the respect it deserves -
brown dirt!