‘Daughter, Frizzante (In Padova)’ by Shauna Gilligan
‘Daughter, Frizzante (In Padova)’
In my candy-floss mind where
everything sticks: our fingers
are entwined, your plump
baby hand still curled
tightly around my hair.
These days our rushed goodbyes
push us to let go, bid farewell
to the mess of childhood
and the hot smothering
of raw motherhood.
What sticky sweetness
seeing you in situ: capable
curious, laughing with
a pen or Aperol spritz in hand,
your mind lit with new ideas.
And I watch you go with
such gorgeous lightness on
the bike you bought for €50:
with St Brigid, Sant’Antonio
di Padova will take you far.
Shauna Gilligan is a professional member of the Irish Writers Centre who facilitates creative writing in community and prison settings. Her writing has been widely published and she has received numerous awards for writing including the Cecil Day Lewis Literary Bursary for Literature (2015) and a Creative Ireland Grant (2021). Recently awarded a Brigid 1500 Grant (Kildare Co. Co.), she co-edited the anthology of writing and visual art, Fire: Brigid and The Sacred Feminine (Arlen House: Dublin, 2024) with Niamh Boyce. In 2025, she was awarded the Irish Writers’ Centre / Tyrone Guthrie Centre Jack Harte Bursary.
Author photo by Ger Holland.
Main photo by Shauna Gilligan.