Margaret Atwood's poem "Morning in the Burned House" is told from the point of view of an unnamed narrator. A possible interpretation of the poem suggests that the narrator is a child who, along with their family, perished in a house fire. The spirit of the child appears to be lingering in the house, partially aware of their tragic fate and the tragic fates of their parents and siblings.

Throughout the poem, the narrator mentions and notices many domestic objects, specifically ones associated with kitchens and cooking. The narrator notices eating utensils, a kettle, a stove, and more. The house seems to have been left suddenly, as suggested by the dishes piled in the sink and the occupants' clothes left on the hangers. The narrator seems to be remembering the house as it was before it burned.

In the sixth stanza, we see another domestic reference in the form of a simile. The narrator compares a rising cloud bank to "dark bread." Use of the words "cloud" and "dark" add to the ominous tone of the poem. Bread is yet another example of a domestic object commonly associated with kitchens. The narrator appears to be remembering and longing for the domesticity and stability of their life prior to the fire and loss of their family and home.

In this context, we can view the comparison of the rising cloud bank to dark bread as another example of the narrator's remembrance of life before the fire. Perhaps they used to make bread with their family in the kitchen that is now burned, and that is why the sight of the rising cloud bank evokes the image of dark bread in the narrator's mind.