To the editor:

Oh how I wish I was there with thee,

next to the sea we would be,

skipping stones and feeling the breeze,

the smell of salt air would set us at ease.

Oh how I wish I could taste the chowda, lobsta and steamers and corn.

Oh how I wish I could walk on the rocks, finding the sea glass worn.

What it would be 

to hear music like jazz;

eat fish and chips, while the sun dips!

What it would be to eat fresh 

quahogs, chourico and peppers, too!

Oh how I wish I could 

swim in the river and sit on the beach with you. 

The Feast and the kiss 

The fog and the mist,

the sound of the bell buoy ring.

The cool nights under the stars 

and the waves sing!

It’s all clear in my mind’s eye

that Rhode Island night sky! 

But until then my friend, 

I will remember,

as long as my heart keeps time;

This special place we’ve loved since childhood on Aquidneck Island.

So find my star on the Big Dipper

that leads you to the Little Dipper, 

and there we will connect.

Like the sunrise and the sunset,

my love for you, I must respect!

Oh how I wish I was there with thee, next to the sea!

Sharon LaMotte

Greenville, S.C.

Sharon LaMotte was born in Newport on Nov. 30, 1957, and grew up on Potomac Road in Portsmouth. She left Portsmouth High after 10th grade when the Naval Base closed. She has two children, and after living in Asheville, N.C. as a jazz singer, she has retired in Greenville, S.C. She recently discovered her family roots go back to the middle-1600s in Portsmouth, Newport and Westerly, so it’s no wonder she cannot forget how at home she feels on Aquidneck Island.