Dear Margaret Atwood,

Thank you for this poem:

Habitation

Marriage is not
a house or even a tent

it is before that, and colder:

the edge of the forest, the edge
of the desert
the unpainted stairs
at the back where we squat
outside, eating popcorn

the edge of the receding glacier

where painfully and with wonder
at having survived even
this far

we are learning to make fire


It puts the hurt to you! Are you friends with Alice Munro? You are, aren't you? She's cool, too, and also from Canada. I love Canadians. Call me if you get a chance, and want to eat some dinner, or mourn.

Love,
The D.L.