Throughout the ages, poems have been written to express profound love for fellow human beings, nature and God. Vans – not so much.
But now Poetry in Motion (pdf), the world’s first anthology of poems by van drivers about life on the road, has been published by Mercedes-Benz Vans with the support of George Mpanga, better known as George the Poet.
The aim was to celebrate the diverse and unique stories of van drivers and challenge misconceptions of the van community.
More than 200 poems were submitted for consideration, with 30 selected for publication. Nikki and Russell Eatly were named as winners of the competition at a ceremony on Thursday evening, and will receive a new van as their prize.
Nikki Eatly, who spent a week working on the poem, said the couple were “gobsmacked” that the love story to their van – nicknamed Flash – won. “I’m in a bit of a daze and slightly hungover, to be honest,” she said on Friday morning from their home in Bedford.
The poem pays loving tribute to the Eatlys’ 16-year-old silver van, whose wing mirror frequently falls off and which sometimes takes a while to get going in the mornings.
The Eatlys set up Pristine Carpets, a carpet cleaning business, in April 2022 after Russell was made redundant and Nikki was forced to give up her job as a primary school teacher because of ill health.
“My father was a tradesman, and it used to really bug me that people looked down their noses at him,” she said. Neighbours objected to the van parked in front of the house. “The perception is that van drivers are ignorant, uneducated.”
When she heard about the poetry competition, “I thought: I could have a go at doing that. I had the idea of something like She, by Elvis Costello, a love story to our van”. She wrote the words, and Russell performed the poem on video.
George the Poet said he had not expected “to be so moved by the level of creativity and emotion” in the submitted poems. The “vanthology” had “uncovered incredible talent”, he said.
“This book is proof that if people take the time to listen, there is opportunity for something beautiful to come from the unexpected. Unfortunately many people, especially men, still don’t feel encouraged to express their feelings through art forms like poetry.”
But, he added, “poetry is for everyone, and poetry reveals who we are beyond our job titles, backgrounds and daily routines. It speaks to the universal truth that we all have stories, passions and talents that often remain hidden.”
Growing up with van drivers in his family, George came to know van life well. Van drivers “come from all walks of life and are a huge driving force for the economy, but a lot of the time people see the van before the person”, he said.
In 2014, the Labour MP Emily Thornberry resigned as shadow attorney general after being accused of snobbery in tweeting a picture of a house with a white van and England flags.
Research by Mercedes-Benz found that 71% of van drivers felt judged or underestimated, and two-thirds believed that people thought van drivers were uneducated.
According to the survey, one in three practise mindfulness, and a quarter tune in regularly to the Today programme.
Among those whose poems are published in the anthology are a decorator, brickworker, window cleaner, carpenter, roofer and chimney sweep. Dave Haworth, an electrician, said that writing a poem had allowed him to tap into his emotional side, which was “sometimes difficult for blokes like me”.
Nikki Eatly’s only previous experience of writing a poem had been for her mother’s funeral. She said: “I’d like to have a go at more creative writing. It might help me process some of what I’ve been through.”
Her van poem had given her a sense of value, she said, and the prize of a new van would be life-changing.
She said: “It’s always been in the back of our minds that if something goes wrong with the van, we don’t have the money to put it right. It’s been a matter of fingers crossed and hold your breath.”
The Work Wife
The shrill of the alarm, awakens me from my slumber,
As I draw back the curtains, I see her and wonder,
What lays ahead? Today’s journey yet untold,
What experiences collectively are soon to unfold?
We’ve been through so much and still we are together,
I doubt there is much that the two of us couldn’t weather.
Busy days, quiet days, happy and dark,
The difference without her would be too stark.
She’s not much to look at, well not anymore,
Her wing mirror constantly falls off the door,
Over the years she’s had a few bits done,
A touch up here and a new black bum[per].
Sixteen years old and thousands of miles on the clock,
It’s fair to say, she’s been round the block.
No mod cons, she’s ready and rough,
Cosmetics aside, underneath she’s tough.
I stock her up ready for a day of work,
A more spacious van would be a perk.
I bid her good morning as I turn the ignition,
Our mutual labours are coming to fruition.
Occasionally, it takes her a while to get going,
(I have to give her extra time when it’s snowing).
But saying that, she’s yet to let me down,
No clients are left waiting when she takes me to town.
It’s hard to express what she means to me:
Independence, freedom and financial security.
I’ve shirked off the shackles of the 9 till 5,
I buckle my belt, and away we drive.
In companionable silence we travel together,
Unless the radio plays an old school belter.
Then we roll down the windows and hit the gas,
Just me, on the road, with my old van Flash.
