February- Margaret Atwood

First, I read through this poem as I would while reading a novel.  The first real sense that I had about the Margaret Atwood's poem was one of despair, longing, and a sense of giving up.  Initially, I presumed that the speaker was gloomy about February because well, it's February.  Answering the first question, I would say that February to me is and forever will be the worst month ever.  Once Christmas passes, I am totally over the cold weather.  January can be bearable; however, what is there to look forward to in February? I feel as though the the speakers feelings towards February are similar to my feelings as well.  

As I reached the middle of the poem, I realized that the gloominess that the speaker is feeling is most likely due to the fact that she is alone in regards to a lover.  February is the month of Valentines Day, a day of love. I feel as though the reader is bitter and critical of the love in general.  "But its love that does us in. Over and over/ again, He shoots, he scores!"  Based on her text, I would say that the speaker is an individual who has experienced bad luck with love and is better towards those who have success with it.  Instead of hanging with a person from the opposite gender, she hangs out with her cat.