"Friend, I Lift Your Name to the Sky": A Poetry Collection by Leni Marlina (PPIPM-Indonesia, Poetry-Pen IC, Indonesian Writer of Satu Pena, Indonesian Creator of AI Era, FSM, ACC SHILA)

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Friend, I Lift Your Name to the Sky

Poem by Leni Marlina

[PPIPM-Indonesia, Poetry-Pen IC, Indonesian Writer of Satu Pena, Indonesian Creator of AI Era, FSM, ACC SHILA]

You whisper into my chest,
like the wind murmuring to the sea.
I lift your name to the sky,
so the stars will know you once burned bright.

If tomorrow I turn to dust,
do not seek me in the silence of the earth.
Find me instead in dawn’s first breath,
in the clear voice of the wind’s song.

For friendship is not just body or voice—
it is the bold imprint beneath the endless horizon.

Baso, Agam,
West Sumatra, Indonesia, 2003

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If One Day You Wish to Find Me, My Friend

Poem by Leni Marlina

[PPIPM-Indonesia, Poetry-Pen IC, Indonesian Writer of Satu Pena, Indonesian Creator of AI Era, FSM, ACC SHILA]

If one day you wish to find me,
do not search in albums, old recordings,
or journals where my days once lived.

Seek me in the river’s flowing murmur,
in the light that ripples on the water’s face,
in the gentle fall of autumn’s leaves.

By then, my body may be long gone,
but perhaps, if fate allows,
you will still hear my poetry in the echoes of time.

Baso, Agam,
West Sumatra, Indonesia, 2003

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God Holds Us in God’s Love

Poem by Leni Marlina

[PPIPM-Indonesia, Poetry-Pen IC, Indonesia Creator of AI, FSM, ACC SHILA]

Today, we exist.
Tomorrow, we vanish.
Yet the glow of a candle lingers,
long after the wick is spent.

My friend,
we are but shadows,
scattered between beams of light.
Yet God holds us in His love—
so we shall never truly disappear.

Baso, Agam,
West Sumatra, Indonesia, 2003

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You Are Not Alone, My Friend

Poem by Leni Marlina

[PPIPM-Indonesia, Poetry-Pen IC, Indonesia Creator of AI, FSM, ACC SHILA]

If loneliness tightens around you,
listen—
the wind at your window carries your name to the sky.

If darkness presses near,
look—
the moon, though halved, still glows.

You are not alone, my friend.
There is a hand unseen,
forever holding you close.
And I, too, have felt its touch.

Baso, Agam,
West Sumatra, Indonesia, 2003

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You and I Were Born of the Same Light

Poem by Leni Marlina

[PPIPM-Indonesia, Poetry-Pen IC, Indonesia Creator of AI, FSM, ACC SHILA]

You seek me in the quiet hills,
I seek you within the sky.
But the soul has no need for eyes—
only the power to know.

You and I were never two.
We are but twin shadows,
born of a single light.
So why do we not call to each other?
Together, we are stronger in the fight.

Baso, Agam,
West Sumatra, Indonesia, 2003

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Loss Is Not a Goodbye

Poem by Leni Marlina

[PPIPM-Indonesia, Poetry-Pen IC, Indonesia Creator of AI, FSM, ACC SHILA]

Do not cry if I am gone,
for I was never truly here.
See how the leaves fall—
they do not vanish,
only return to the earth that bore them.

My friend, we are the wind,
scattered to distant lands.
But one day,
we will meet again,
in a season written by the hands of God.

Baso, Agam,
West Sumatra, Indonesia, 2003

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My Friend, Who Walks with Time

Poem by Leni Marlina

[PPIPM-Indonesia, Poetry-Pen IC, Indonesia Creator of AI, FSM, ACC SHILA]

You arrived like a breath of wind,
unbidden,
moving through my silence
without breaking it.
A quiet light that never asked to be seen.

You are not just a name
etched in the temple of memory.
You are the orbit I never noticed,
circling my steps—
never ahead,
never behind,
only present.
Only steadfast.

I fell into a nameless abyss,
became a sliver of a moon
hanging in the sky of loss.
And there you stood—
not as a hand pulling me back,
but as the horizon reminding me
I was never truly alone.

You walked along the edge of my night,
never asking why I was silent,
never demanding me to shine.
You only stayed,
letting me wax and wane,
like the moon that knows
its glow belongs not to itself
but to the universe it longs to illuminate.

And if one day our roads must part,
I know you will not be lost.
Like the moon veiled behind the clouds,
you will still be there—
waiting for the night to heal,
a quiet glow for the darkness
that still believes in morning.

Baso, Agam,
West Sumatra, Indonesia, 2003

———–

About the Author and Her Works

There was never a grand plan when those words first found their way onto the page—just a quiet restlessness searching for a home, a small flicker of hope gasping for air. It was 2003. Fresh from an academic journey that led her to win the National Indonesian Undergraduate Students Scientific Writing Competition (LKTM) in education at the National Scientific Week (PIMNAS) at Universitas Negeri Surakarta, Leni Marlina found herself scribbling down a few verses between the pages of her reflective notes.

She didn’t think much of them at the time. They were just thoughts—passing, fleeting. But life has a way of circling back. And years later, those very poems knocked softly at her heart again, as if whispering, Do you still remember us? They brought back the echoes of forgotten footsteps, the quiet dreams once set aside. And perhaps, in their return, they were reminding her that words, no matter how small, always find their way home.

Twenty-two years passed. One day, Leni Marlina rediscovered those old poems, tucked away in pages that had begun to age. Some felt unfamiliar, like voices she once knew but now spoke in a different tone. Others remained close to her heart, as if they had never left. She reread them, touched each line with care, revised them with the maturity she had gained, and—with a quiet courage—decided to let them live again. The year 2025 became a new beginning, a space where these poems were given breath in the digital world.

Writing had always been a home for Leni Marlina, a place to return when the world felt too loud. But over time, she realized that literature was not merely about writing—it was about sharing, about listening, about growing together. This understanding led her deeper into the realms of education and literacy, not as someone who had ‘arrived’ but as a traveler still learning along the way.

Leni Marlina joined the Indonesian Writers’ Association (Komunitas Penulis Indonesia – SATU PENA) in West Sumatra, chaired by poet and former bureaucrat Sastri Bakry, while the national organization was founded by Denny J.A. Through this community, she gained a broader perspective on Indonesian literature, understanding the dynamics she had previously only observed from a distance. On the international stage, she became part of the ACC Shanghai International Literary Writers’ Association and was honored as Indonesia’s Poetry Ambassador for the ACC Shanghai Huifeng International Literary Association, founded and led by artist and poet Anna Keiko. During her studies in Australia in 2012, she also connected with Victoria’s Writers Association, where she learned how literature could bridge diverse cultures.

Yet among all these experiences, what Leni is most grateful for is the opportunity to share. Since 2006, she has been teaching in the English Literature Program, Department of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Languages and Arts, Universitas Negeri Padang. To her, teaching is not merely a profession but a window into understanding the world through the perspectives of her students—young minds filled with passion, questions, and an insatiable curiosity about life.

Beyond the campus, Leni has dedicated herself to creating spaces for those who wish to make language and literature part of their life’s journey. Some of the communities she founded and manages include:

1. World Children’s Literature Community (WCLC) – a space to share and nurture a love for literacy, focusing on children’s literature from around the world. Some works and activities from this community can be found at: https://shorturl.at/acFv1
2. Poetry-Pen International Community – a platform for poets across nations to voice humanity, justice, environmental concerns, and the bittersweetness of life.
3. PPIPM (Pondok Puisi Inspirasi Masyarakat) – a community that uses poetry as a medium for inspiration and social reflection. Some works and activities from this community can be seen at: https://shorturl.at/2eTSB; https://shorturl.at/tHjRI
4. Starcom Indonesia Community (Starmoonsun Edupreneur Community Indonesia) – a network connecting literature, education, and digital entrepreneurship. Some of its activities and works can be found at: https://rb.gy/5c1b02
5. Linguistic Talk Community – a discussion space for language and linguistics enthusiasts.
6. Literature Talk Community – a community for those who wish to explore the depths of literature.
7. Translation Practice Community – a place for learning and sharing in the art of translation, particularly between Indonesian and English.
8. English Language Learning, Literacy, and Literary Community (EL4C) – a community that bridges education, language, literacy, and literature.

None of these are achievements; they are part of a journey—one that she continues to walk. She believes that literature is not just about writing and reading but also about listening, understanding, and finding meaning in the stories and works we share. If there is one thing she wishes to keep doing, it is to learn and to share, for that is where literature finds its true life.

“Friend, I Lift Your Name to the Sky”: A Poetry Collection by Leni Marlina (PPIPM-Indonesia, Poetry-Pen IC, Indonesian Writer of Satu Pena, Indonesian Creator of AI Era, FSM, ACC SHILA)