/1/
Children of the Nation in the Valley of Struggle
Poem by Leni Marlina
Beneath a sky torn asunder,
we are but specks of dust,
swallowed by rain forced to pause.
The peaks of Jayawijaya whisper to us
in the forgotten tongue of magma,
its echoes entwined with unseen fate.
We, children born of gold’s fiery depths,
run barefoot,
tread soil riddled with scars,
playing with shadows beyond reach.
We are fragments of flame,
building homes of clay,
shaping futures with hands still sullied by mining’s mire,
etching unseen imprints,
like rain that comes and vanishes unannounced.
Now, we rise,
reclaim and fight for what is ours,
once stolen by force.
Jakarta, Indonesia, 2004
/2/
In a Land That Never Sleeps
Poem by Leni Marlina
Take us to the land that knows no rest,
to shores defying time,
where sea and sky clash endlessly.
Amid Sumatra’s forests, Kalimantan’s woods,
Java’s greenery, Sulawesi’s wilds,
Papua’s hidden groves,
all the forests of the archipelago,
burn with rage,
forgotten valleys shrouded in silence.
We run, tearing through time’s relentless tide,
walk on feet that know no fatigue,
though our bodies crack and crumble
like broken earth.
We are children carving history with sweat,
blood as red as the soil beneath us,
laced with fragile stones.
In this sleepless land,
we dream of soaring free,
through skies thick with dust and wind,
braving heat and cold,
to claim dignity for this generation and the next.
Jakarta, Indonesia, 2004
/3/
Twilight in the Hometown
Poem by Leni Marlina
Beneath the lingering twilight,
we are shadows forgotten,
swallowed by the ripples of a ceaseless river.
The homeland whispers of a bygone past,
spilling silent longing that knows no bounds.
Here, where grass scents the earth,
we remember a mother’s tireless hands,
weaving dreams from threads of resistance.
We are the nation’s children glowing softly,
even if merely forgotten light.
Like twilight, we fade and return,
filling the void left behind.
Yet, we refuse to bow to empty words,
reject the arrogance of deceit.
We shall never steal even a fragment of twilight,
for we guard its honesty and beauty in memory.
Jakarta, Indonesia, 2004
/4/
Our Ancestors: Sailors and Heroes
Poem by Leni Marlina
Upon tireless seas,
we are like fish against the current,
hiding behind waves swallowing the sky.
Sulawesi and Maluku,
lands sinking in the dust of history,
speak to us through the mournful songs of the ocean.
We, children afloat on narrow waters,
draw breath from the gaps of life.
We know each droplet here is freedom,
hard-won against the storm of colonization.
We are footprints washed away by waves,
but take no mistake—
we endure,
spirits unyielding.
Our ancestors were not just sailors,
but warriors,
and this life we’ll fight to preserve.
Jakarta, Indonesia, 2004
/5/
Children of the Nation, Bearers of Dreams
Poem by Leni Marlina
We are dreamers soaring
between islands adrift.
Bali’s heat scorches our skin,
yet gifts us wings of stone.
We are fire, fearless of fading.
We stride on shifting sands,
unchanging as destiny’s flow.
Born of resilient soil,
we sow seeds of hope unyielding,
even as storms strive to uproot.
Jakarta, Indonesia, 2004
————
Brief Biography
This poetry collection was initially written by Leni Marlina in 2004. It was revised 21 years later and published digitally in 2025.
Leni is an active member of the Indonesian Writers Association (SATU PENA), West Sumatra branch, since its inception in 2022. She is also an active member of the International Poetry and Literary Writers’ Community (ACC) in Shanghai and serves as Indonesia’s Poetry Ambassador for the ACC Shanghai Huifeng International Literary Association. Leni has previously been involved with Victoria’s Writers Association in Australia. Since 2006, she has dedicated herself as a lecturer at the English Language and Literature Study Program, Faculty of Language and Arts, Universitas Negeri Padang.
Leni has also founded and led digital communities and initiatives focusing on language, literature, literacy, and social issues, including:
1. World Children’s Literature Community (WCLC): https://shorturl.at/acFv1
2. Poetry-Pen International Community
3. PPIPM (Pondok Puisi Inspirasi Masyarakat), the Poetry Community of Indonesian Society Inspirations: https://shorturl.at/2eTSB; https://shorturl.at/tHjRI
4. Starcom Indonesia Community (Starmoonsun Edupreneur Community Indonesia):
https://rb.gy/5c1b02
5. Linguistic Talk Community
6. Literature Talk Community
7. Translation Practice Community
8. English Languange Learning, Literacy, Literary Community (EL4C)
