I cannot wait for that weather where it’s 8 p.m. and the fiery sun is still fizzling out behind wisps of bright pink and orange clouds.

I miss the warm glory rays and sitting out on my porch, enjoying a cool, cherry Popsicle.

I miss my plaid shorts and tank tops. I miss marinating in pools of sunlight and walking around sprinklers.

I miss the smell of burnt rubber on bike tires in the street. I miss the strident shrieks of children that reverberate in the alleys.

I was born to run in flip-flops, to sit and soak in the fumes of a barbecue.

What I need right now is the scent of freshly cut grass and Novi’s Beef hot- dogs and fries with a chilled soda wait- ing for me on the corner of Ogden avenue back home—to sit at the park and fish around the greasy brown paper bag with my mother.

I miss running into stores and banks and houses to escape the sweltering sun and sigh with relief, ever grateful for the air conditioning that showers my in all of its chilly splendor. Surely the heat can sometimes make me lazy, but there’s nothing like a summer night.

Those balmy summer nights when I began to shiver against the laps of chlorine in my best friend’s pool.

More than the summer, maybe what

I miss the most are some of the old-

er memories that came with it—summers where I was almost completely free of responsibility, and summers when I didn’t have to go to sleep with deep fur- rows in my brow, thinking about applications and studies and work.

Even then—that’s the best part. A summer when I’m finally independent and don’t have to necessarily rely on others for a ride or for buying my own clothes.

Now my summers don’t consist of curfews or limited allowances for the week. Going to sleep some nights with creases on my face is worth getting up on my days off to thoroughly enjoy myself.

Anyway, I need the snow gone now. We could all use a break from these biting, freezing temperatures that have stifled our excitement from enjoying our weekend and have threatened to keep us from showing up to class.

Hopefully this spring break will serve as a healthy disruption from midterms stress and this nightmarish weather for us all.

I want to sincerely wish everyone a happy and safe spring break. This one is for a warm and welcoming start to our summer.

Marge Clemente is a senior English major. She can be reached at 581-2812 or denopinions@ gmail.com.