The Speaker

The speaker experiences seasonal burnout due to the long, cold, and dark winter. Despite the bleak tenor of the speaker's thoughts, they also exhibit a wry sense of humor. For example, they compare their cat to a black fur sausage. The isolating drudgery of winter gives way to reflections on mortality and species survival, and the speaker is critical not only of humanity as a whole but also of their individual actions. This self-critique can be seen in the line, "pollution pours / out of our chimneys to keep us warm" (23–24). However, cynicism does not color the entirety of the speaker's perspective. At the end of the poem, the speaker musters up the beginning semblance of optimism.

The Speaker's Cat

The speaker's cat engages in the daily routine of jumping on the bed and climbing on the speaker's head. This effort is an attempt to seek affection, which...