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Planet Earth (by P.K. Page)

Griffin Prize for Excellence In Poetry, The (2001 - )

Original Text: 
P.K. Page, Planet Earth: Poems Selected and New, Ed. Eric Ormsby (Erin, ON: Porcupine's Quill, 2002). This poem is reproduced on the Griffin Prize Web Site (from a volume on the 2003 Canadian Shortlist).
It has to be spread out, the skin of this planet,
has to be ironed, the sea in its whiteness;
and the hands keep on moving,
smoothing the holy surfaces.
    'In Praise of Ironing', PABLO NERUDA
1It has to be loved the way a laundress loves her linens,
2the way she moves her hands caressing the fine muslins
3knowing their warp and woof,
The rest of the poem cannot be displayed due to copyright restrictions.
RPO poem Editors: 
Ian Lancashire
RPO Edition: 
2011