“Intelligent, Great, Brave, and Resilient Women”: Special Poetry Collection by Community of PPIPM – Indonesia; Writers Community of Satu Pena, Poetry-Pen IC; Indonesian Creators in AI Era)
"Intelligent, Great, Brave, and Resilient Women": Special Poetry Collection by Community of PPIPM - Indonesia; Writers Community of Satu Pena, Poetry-Pen IC; Indonesian Creators in AI Era)
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A Great Woman Who Becomes a Bridge
Poem By Leni Marlina
[PPIPM – Indonesia; Writers Community of Satu Pena, Poetry-Pen IC; Indonesian Creator in AI Era; ACC SHILA)
We are like cliffs,
standing silent, separated by a dark chasm
that swallows light and sound.
You, an intelligent woman, came,
not as a mighty eagle,
but as blades of grass
that slowly wove strength.
You grew into a rope,
a wooden plank, a stretch
binding two worlds
that never trusted each other.
We stepped upon you,
not with courage,
but with trembling uncertainty.
Yet you, a resilient woman, endured,
connecting shattered souls,
becoming the foundation for wounded hope.
When at last we reached the other side,
you had vanished from sight.
But your traces remained
on every step we took,
teaching us that true strength
needs no name, only conviction.
You are a living bridge,
a great woman, seeking no return,
for all you’ve given to others.
Bukittinggi, West Sumatra, Indonesia, 2006
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The original title in Indonesian languange is “Perempuan Hebat yang Menjadi Jembatan”.
Leni Marlina is the active member of Indonesian Writers Association of SATU PENA located in Padang, West Sumatra Province – Indonesia; the active member of ACC International Poets & Literary Writers Community, Shanghai. Furthermore, she is the ACC Indonesian Poetry Ambassador for ACC Shanghai Huifeng International Literary Association. In addition, she has been a lecturer at English Languange and Literature Study Program, Faculty of Languanges and Arts, Universitas Negeri Padang. Furthermore, she is the founder and head of of PPIPM (Pondok Puisi Inspirasi Masyarakat): The Poetry Community of Indonesian Society Inspirations; the founder as well as the head of Poetry-Pen International Community; the founder and head of Translation Practice Community; the founder and head of English Language Learning, Literature, Literacy Community (EL4C)
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Go On, Mbak Ica!
Poem by Anto Narasoma
[PPIPM – Indonesia; Writers Community of Satu Pena, Poetry-Pen IC; Indonesian Creator in AI Era)
Indonesian-English Translator: Leni Marlina
After the scenes and songs
that narrated your story with smiles,
the script has now ended.
Memories linger still,
settling in the spaces you left
without farewell.
And,
I still remember the steps you left behind
throughout your existence
that is now absent.
Oh, what impressions did you scribble
on every photo and painting of your weary face, Mbak Ica?
Ah, as death silently took
your empty body,
tears flooded the prayers
on your lifeless bed.
Go on, Mbak.
Your afterlife records a thousand kindnesses
you spoke in the assembly of the people.
There,
amidst flowers
that adorn your grave,
your smile never fades,
even as your story’s script runs out of words.
Palembang, Indonesia,
October 2nd, 2024
———————-
The original title in Indonesian languange is “Pergilah, Mbak Ica .
Anto Narasoma is an internationally well-known Indonesia poet, senior journalist, senior mentor of the PPIPM-Indonesia community, and a member of the Poetry-Pen International Community.
The author received the Literary Award from the International Literary Association of Spain in 2022.
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Khadijah, Mother of the Believers
Poem by Arsiya Oganara
[PPIPM – Indonesia; Writers Community of Satu Pena, Poetry-Pen IC; Indonesian Creator in AI Era)
Indonesian-English Translator: Leni Marlina
Khadijah, you are the woman of light,
a noble descendant of the pure Quraysh tribe,
your lineage tied to the final Prophet,
the pride of the heavens, the seal of all Prophets.
In your youth, they called you “The Pure Woman,”
adorned not only with outer beauty
but with virtuous morals that touch
and illuminate the darkest deserts.
You were a great merchant,
wise in speech, steadfast in faith,
immersed in wealth yet respected for honesty,
grasping the world without losing the heavens.
Khadijah, the irreplaceable first love,
companion of Al-Amin, the trustworthy one,
in every step, you sacrificed your soul,
in every treasure, you surrendered in love.
You witnessed the early rise of conviction,
when your husband, the unlettered Prophet,
raised the banner of truth in the valley of Mecca,
as morality plummeted and idols reigned supreme.
You stood firm,
fighting the exploitation of dignity,
the chasm dividing rich and poor,
and the oppression of the weak.
Khadijah, a resilient woman,
open advocacy invited storms of opposition,
mockery, intimidation, even exile.
Yet your heart remained steadfast as a rock,
your faith a fortress unshaken.
At the twilight of your life, your mission ended,
but the light of your struggle never dimmed.
The name of the Mother of Believers echoes still,
and heaven became the final home for your soul.
We take wisdom from you, Khadijah,
a woman of paradise
firm in faith, boundless in love,
whom even God mentions in glory,
Khadijah, an eternal role model.
Bandar Lampung, Indonesia,
December 5th, 2024
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The original title in Indonesian languange is “Khadijah, Ummul Mukminin”.
Arsiya Heni Puspita – Arsiya Oganara is her pen name. A graduate in Communication Studies, she has a passion for reading and traveling. These hobbies have led her to become a professional journalist who has successfully passed the Journalist Competency Test (UKW) and has been certified as a competent professional. Additionally, she is a Professional Tourist Guide and Tour Leader, licensed and certified by the Jakarta Tourism and Creative Economy Office (Disparekraf DKI Jakarta) and the National Professional Certification Agency (BNSP).
Currently, she is venturing into the literary world, channeling her love for writing through short stories, poetry, essay poems, and more.
Arsiya Oganara greatly enjoys meeting new people, and friendships can be built through her social media.
Facebook: Arsiya Heny Puspita
Instagram: arsiyahenyhdl
Email: hennyarsiya@gmail.com
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My Longing for Mande Siti Mangopoh
Poem by Wisye Siti Manggopoh
[PPIPM – Indonesia; Writers Community of Satu Pena, Poetry-Pen IC; Indonesian Creator in AI Era; FSM)
Indonesian-English Translator: Leni Marlina
The clock strikes 79 years of independence,
I still await your shadow, Mande Siti,
longing for your clenched fists defying the gray skies,
longing for your loud cries,
challenging the merciless tyranny.
Your love is like an unending river,
flowing affection to the children of the nation,
still stumbling on their ancestral land,
crawling through mysterious forests,
grasping at thorny seas.
Mande Siti, the woman I revere,
don’t let this land be trampled by thieves,
don’t allow corruption to grow like parasites,
and grant no mercy to those
who trade dignity for a hollow promise.
I hear your sigh among the chaos of oligarchy,
see your shadow in fields burning with longing.
You are the fire igniting courage,
not to destroy,
but to kindle a spirit nearly extinguished.
Oh, Mande Siti,
higher education should never justify arrogance.
Your steps taught me
to stand tall in defiance, not submission.
Today, I pray in profound silence
that your clenched fists echo once more,
illuminating the path for the nation’s children,
still faltering, stumbling, and wounded.
Stay with us, Mande Siti,
on the land you love,
under the sky you defended.
Together with your firm steps,
I will rise against every tyranny.
Padang, Indonesia, December 2024
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The original title in Indonesian languange is “Rinduku Pada Mande Siti Mangopoh”.
Wisye Paula Deja – Wisye Siti Manggopoh is her pen name. She is an activist and a board member of the Siti Manggopoh Forum and several organizations in West Sumatra. She is a member of Satu Pena Sumbar and PPIPM-Indonesia, currently residing in Padang.
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Habiya’s Smile
[PPIPM – Indonesia; Writers Community of Satu Pena, Poetry-Pen IC; Indonesian Creator in AI Era)
Indonesian-English Translator: Leni Marlina
In the heavenly fields that transcend time,
a humble bamboo house stands—unlonging for palaces,
on its woven walls of bamboo,
Habiya spins the morning from strands of dew.
Her old window greets the sun,
its faint rays stitching footsteps onto the earth,
where doves softly hum
melodies that seep into the drums of the soul.
Habiya, as you call yourself,
your smile is a script untouched by time;
on your cheeks flows an ancient river,
its waters red with betel nut, leaves,
and prayers ground in an old brass mortar.
The scent of longing—a fragrance of ancestral soil.
Habiya’s hands, calloused by years,
shape words from dust,
writing addresses of love onto the horizon.
Children pass through her,
like ladders to the heavens,
their playful chatter spelling out light
from her worn scarf stretched across
the skies of Madura.
In a silent corner,
Habiya carves the moon’s shadow,
each stroke births a story;
her oil lamp sways like a flame,
burning signals into the night.
Habiya,
a woman from nothingness,
forging destiny beneath shimmering stars.
Her smile remains afloat:
a wheel turning the universe,
reviving ancestral lands in stillness.
Between the seas and salt fields,
Habiya’s heart shines beautifully.
Madura holds her name,
in every wind that carries sand
to the doors of souls longing for kin.
Madura, Indonesia,
April 1st, 2018
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The original title in Indonesian languange is “Senyum Habiya”.
Dewi Farhah is an educator in Language and Literature at Pondok Pesantren Al-Amien Prenduan Sumenep Madura, East Java, Indonesia (2007-2011). She is the founder and principal of PAUD Ar Rahmah Nurul Hidayah, an Early Childhood Education Institution in Lembung Village, Galis District, Pamekasan, since 2012. She has been a board member of Himpaudi Galis District since 2014 and a Central Coordinator for the Class of 2018 (Artzhevant) at TMI Pi Al-Amien Prenduan Sumenep, Madura,
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The Heart’s Warrior
Poem by Yusuf Achmad
[PPIPM – Indonesia; Writers Community of Satu Pena, Poetry-Pen IC; Indonesian Creator in AI Era)
Indonesian-English Translator: Leni Marlina
I once called you
the coffee of my days—
then, now, and forever.
But you are more than coffee;
within your depths,
life’s poem brews tenderly.
Fragile, yet steadfast,
your voice cannot speak harshly,
your heart cannot utter deceit.
Even the word “later”
is unwelcome on your lips.
Resolute, you settle the storms,
offering your strength and wisdom.
Not only for your husband,
but for family, for grandchildren—
even as they tease the steadfastness of your love.
Though at times you seem stern,
your refusals come as guiding winds.
And still, your affection soars,
a radiant light undiminished.
You are no delicate rose,
but the quiet fragrance of your heart lingers
forever boundless.
You are the warrior of my heart,
a guardian of love’s noble cause.
Though life’s colors may have softened,
your spirit and kindness remain unyielding,
flowing endlessly into my soul.
You, my wife, my life’s warrior,
without you, I am but a bird with one wing.
Surabaya, Indonesia,
December 20th, 2024
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The original title in Indonesian languange is “Sang Pejuang Hati”.
Yusuf Achmad is currently the Principal of SMK SAINTREN Al-Hasan Surabaya and the Chairperson of the Private Vocational High Schools Association (MKKS) in Surabaya. He is also known for one of his poetry collections, Belanggur di Nyamplungan.
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The True Woman
Poem by Muliaty Mastura Yusuf
[PPIPM – Indonesia; Writers Community of Satu Pena, Poetry-Pen IC; Indonesian Creator in AI Era)
Indonesian-English Translator: Leni Marlina
Still, as before,
you weave love with care,
cradling me tenderly
whenever longing stirs the waves.
Patient and kind,
you ask for nothing in return.
I marvel at the strength within you,
an indomitable force no ruler can command.
You hold steadfastly to honor,
an idealism that gold cannot buy,
that no currency can measure.
With fiery resilience,
you ignite the flames of goodness,
even when they sear your heart.
Still, as before,
you remain unchanged.
Your sharp intellect cuts through shadows,
just as it did
when you held me as a child.
You astound me.
You are the true woman,
unchanged by worldly treasures.
An untiring warrior,
your strength lies in the purity of your soul.
Still, as before,
though time may weigh upon you,
your ideals remain vibrant,
spoken not in words but through deeds.
Through the power of your pen,
you craft words—
sharp yet gentle,
piercing through the heavens.
Still, as before,
the scent of your embrace lingers,
etched within my soul.
Still, as before,
you are the true woman,
the solace of my aching heart.
From you,
I draw new strength—
a courage that banishes all fear,
even in the face of power.
Somba Opu, South Sulawesi, Indonesia,
January 11th, 2025
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The original title in Indonesian languange is “Perempuan Sejati”.
Muliaty Mastura Yusuf was a journalist at Harian Fajar Makassar from 1991 to 1994, a reporter and editorial secretary for the campus media Washilah UIN Alauddin from 1992 to 1997, and a journalist at Harian Berita Kota Makassar from 1997 to 2001. She also served as a lecturer in journalism at the Faculty of Da’wah and Communication, UIN Alauddin, from 2010 to 2019. Currently, she is an active member of the Indonesian Muslim Writers Association (IPMI) in South Sulawesi and the Kampus Lorong Rainbow Children’s Community in Makassar.
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The Intelligent Woman Who Brings the Winds of Life
Poem by Leni Marlina
We are like fallen leaves,
scattered across the soil,
awaiting the slow decay of time.
You, a woman of wisdom, arrive—
not as a storm that snatches us,
not as a current that sweeps us away,
but as a gentle breeze,
lifting us back into the air.
With your tenderness,
you remind us of the roots we once knew,
of the tree of life that stands unbroken.
You, a woman of grace, are the wind
that breathes life anew,
not for yourself,
but for the flame of hope you have rekindled.
You leave without footprints,
yet every whisper of the breeze,
every tentative step we take,
carries your legacy.
You are the great woman
who once changed the course of our lives.
Now we soar farther,
not by our strength,
but through yours.
You, a courageous woman,
have given us the wings
to face the winds of this world.
Bukittinggi, West Sumatra, Indonesia, 2006
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The original title in Indonesian languange is “Perempuan Cerdas yang Membawa Angin Kehidupan”.
The poem was originally written by Leni Marlina as a personal hobby and part of her private poetry collection in 2006. The poem was later revised, translated to English by herself, and gradually began to be published digitally for the first time in January 2025.
Leni Marlina is an active member of the Indonesian Writers Association (SATU PENA), West Sumatra branch, since its establishment in 2022, as well as the Indonesian AI Era Creators Community. She is also an active member of the ACC International Poets and Writers Community in Shanghai, and serves as the Indonesian Poetry Ambassador for ACC Shanghai Huifeng International Literary Association. Additionally, she has been involved with the Victoria Writers’ Association in Australia. Since 2006, she has dedicated herself as a lecturer in the English Language and Literature Department, Faculty of Languages and Arts, Universitas Negeri Padang.
Leni Marlina has also founded and chaired several social, literary, linguistic, literacy communities, utilizing digital platforms, 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’s 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)
