The book "A Man in a Hurry" Photo: Courtesy of poet Wang Jibing

Gan Shijian de Ren (A Man in a Hurry) is a collection of more than 180 poems from 54-year-old writer Wang Jibing. As Wang's maiden poetry, the book contains many works that have never been shown to the public. 

The book's cover is a rich blue, the same color as the uniform that Wang wears day-to-day as a delivery man traversing Kunshan city in East China's Jiangsu Province to feed a family of five.

Wang's life story as a delivery man who writes poetry has intrigued people, leading to the new book's first 5,000 copies nearly selling out since its recent release. As a poet who also works in a delivery job, Wang told the Global Times that reality has been "tough but inspiring."  

Grassroots poet 

Wang told the Global Times that he has long been drawn to literature, especially poetry, since his early 20s when he was a migrant worker in Shenyang, Northeast China's Liaoning Province.

At that time, Wang said that his biggest consolation while carrying out heavy laborious work was reading in a kiosk filled with second-hand books in Shenyang and that the experience made him "fall in love with literature," he told the Global Times. 

"I don't like to smoke or play card games with other workers. My hobby was to jot down notes on the books I was reading," Wang said. 

Like many migrant workers in the country, prior to his current delivery job, Wang had worked at a variety of jobs such as turning screws in a factory and a ragpicker in multiple provinces across the country. 

He told the Global Times that compared to his "unstable" life circumstances, his passion for poetry has been a long-lasting constant. Including the more than 100 poems collected in the new book, Wang has written a total of around 4,000 poems over the years. 

These poems mainly spring from his own experiences. For instance, the titular poem "A Man in a Hurry" is Wang's representative work depicting a group portrait of delivery men in mega cities.

"The fire was rushed out from bone, the water was rushed out from fire, a man in a hurry has no four seasons, but only this, and the next stop…" the poem goes. 

Other poems based on his true experiences make up a large part of the book. Besides these, Wang's book also has poems that focus on themes like "mother and father," "the elderly" and even ordinary objects like vehicle barriers. 

Wang told the Global Times that inspiration often comes "spontaneously" while he is on the road every day. He said that once he had an idea come through, he sends himself a voice message on WeChat.

"It is just how it works… I talk to myself on Wechat," he noted. 

Describing a gate as a "man has open arms," Wang said that he likes this style because such mundane details made his poetry "land solid in reality." 

"I can't imagine myself as a full-time writer because I know I would not do it well since my inspiration all comes from my delivery job," he noted.

'I know who I am'

Living a busy life that starts in the early morning around 5:30am, Wang told the Global Times that he only has two hours a day for his literature hobby.

"That is from 6am to 8am. I use those two hours to work on the poetry fragments that I had a day before," Wang said. 

Wang said that he was "content" with the new book, but that it has also brought him some "star trouble" following his increased media exposure. 

The delivery man said that due to the number of interviews he has been giving, his attendance rating on the delivery platform he works for has dropped from the gold tier to the lowest tier over the past two months.

"I've become a bit worried as I have mortgage to pay," he said, adding that he has become a little bit tired of the "sudden fame." 

Wang said that he does not mind that some media outlets have "overly emphasized" his job as a delivery man since he knew that it is a "gimmick" to attract more attention. 

"I see it as a type of kindness. I know who I am, so I will not get lost in fame," Wang said.

The writer said that he will continue to write poetry until the day people recognize him as a "poet." He told the Global Times that he is currently changing his writing directions from "individual experiences" to tackling global shared issues.

"Mama" is one of Wang Jibing's latest poems that focuses on the tension between Russia and Ukraine. 

In the poem, he describes the two countries as a mother's two sons to call for world peace.
 
"We read in news' subtitles, her son went to the battlefield; her other son went to the battlefield too," Wang wrote in his poem.   

Although it has been less than six months since Wang's book was published, the writer revealed to the Global Times that he already has another new poetry book on the way. 

Wang said that the new book, called I'm Clumsily in Love with the World, is going to be more "scholarly" than his current one.