Habitation by Margaret Atwood

     When I read the title, I thought that this poem would be something scientific because the word 'habitat' was commonly discussed for our Science classes in elementary. Apparently, I was wrong, and the word actually referred to some kind of residence or place of dwelling. I was then surprised when "Marriage" was the first word of the poem. I was thinking of how marriage and habitation could possibly be related. Then, the following words  "not a house or even a tent" came. I guess I found my answer. Personally, I liked the words used (such as forest, desert, stairs, glacier) because they actually provide me with a mental image while reading the poem. I found the division in the middle weird, but I guess it has its purpose, which is to show the division in the thoughts being portrayed in the poem. I found the line "outside, eating popcorn" out of place because it didn't seem to mesh with the other images in my mind, but the fact that this odd line was placed there really allowed me to think more about the poem. The last line, "we are learning to make fire," really had me thinking of the message that the persona is trying to convey. I guess it means that marriage is really the start of something new. I haven't experienced marriage yet(obviously), but I'll keep that in mind.