February

"February, month of despair
with a skewered heart in the centre."
"February"
Magaret Atwood


February is just about the middle of winter, when everyone is getting tired of the cold weather and lack of green plants and trees. The speaker in the poem focuses on both the positive and the negative aspects of winter. The cat represents a negative aspect, because it is a symbol of sex and greed. However, he finds love amidst all the lifelessness and negativity around him during February (I mean it is is the month of Valentine's Day...) He says, "It's love that does us in." Love helps us to see the good in things, when everything else seems hopeless and miserable. It provides comfort during times of insecurity. I think Atwood is trying to say that a world with a little more love and optimism will help "Get rid of death" and "Make it be spring," or help us to have a more positive outlook on parts of our life. It can always be spring in our minds if we change our negative perception in life.