Leni Marlina’s Bilingual Poem: A Blessed New Year

A Blessed New Year

Poem by Leni Marlina

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The new year slips through the veins of the city;
the bones of roads channel cold into the nerves,
mist clings to the lungs of rooftops,
streetlights tremble
like the retinas of an infant resisting sleep.

The sky melts into blue-violet,
dripping liquid metal onto roofs;
shadows of rain inscribe foreign letters
on windowpanes that absorb echoes.

Time is torn, gliding across the skin of the earth,
cutting seconds like fragile glass,
leaving shards that cling to the nerves
and to feelings left unnamed.

Buildings hold their breath,
streets gather the remnants of footsteps;
the sea swallows its own bitterness,
leaving behind the scent of metal and salt
that settles at the edge of the senses,
shaping a night
that never truly sleeps.

We turn to You, O God;
our eyes still scripting shadows,
our tongues chewing bitter news,
our chests pulsing
like erratic engines.

O God, please teach us how to read silence,
to unravel mysteries
unrecognized by time.

If You grant us light,
let it pierce the nerves,
awakening consciousness
in mind and heart.
If You grant us darkness,
let it consume the light,
leaving a residue at the edge of sensation,
guiding our steps without fear
across the floor of history
that never stands still.

We ask for no other world.
Only hearts that remain gentle
though wounded,
hands that give without calculation,
steps that grow steadier
though once lost,
still leaving behind
traces of goodness.

May this new year grow slowly,
like roots breaking through sidewalks,
like electricity crossing empty walls,
like air tearing the skin
and leaving a new vibration
in the blood.

Hope arrives—simple and resolute,
enough to keep the conscience pure,
enough to ignite awareness
amid the dark clamor of the world.

In this new year,
make us wiser
among the turns of history
and the waves of forgetting.
Let each breath become a lesson,
each second a kaleidoscope of experience,
the heart a laboratory
extracting
color, feeling, and goodness—
becoming a poem
for those who dare to remain alive
with steadfastness
and human compassion.

_

Padang, West Sumatra, Republic of Indonesia, January 1st, 2026

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About the Poet: Leni Marlina

Leni Marlina was born in Baso, Agam, West Sumatra, and is currently based in Padang, Indonesia. She is a poet, writer, and senior lecturer in the English Literature Program at the Faculty of Languages and Arts, Universitas Negeri Padang, where she has taught since 2006.

Her recent publications include the single-author poetry collections The Beloved Teachers (2025) and L-BEAUMANITY: Love, Beauty, and Humanity (2025), as well as the English Stories for Literacy trilogy (2024–2025). In addition to poetry, she actively writes short stories, essays, literary criticism, and reviews, and is deeply engaged in translating literary and journalistic texts.

In recognition of her contributions to literature and literacy, Marlina received the Best Writer Award 2025 from SatuPena West Sumatra at the 3rd International Minangkabau Literary Festival (IMLF-3), the ACC International Literary Prize 2025 from the ACC Shanghai Huiyu International Literary Creative Media Centre, and an international literary recognition from The Rhythm of Vietnam community (2025).

Since 2025, she has been officially appointed as the Indonesian Poetry Ambassador for the ACC Shanghai Huifeng International Literary Association (ACC SHILA) and concurrently serves as the ASEAN Director for ACC SHILA Poets. In the same year, she was entrusted by the Capital Writers International Foundation as National Director (Indonesia) for the Panorama International Literary Festival (PILF), held in India from January to February 2026.
(Festival information: www.panoramafestival.org)

—
Indonesian Version

Tahun Baru yang Diberkahi

Puisi: Leni Marlina
_

Tahun baru menyelinap di urat kota;
tulang jalan menyalurkan dingin ke saraf,
kabut menempel di paru-paru atap,
mata lampu bergetar
seperti retina bayi yang menolak tidur.

Langit meleleh menjadi biru-ungu,
meneteskan logam cair ke atap-atap;
bayang hujan menulis huruf asing
di kaca jendela.

Waktu tersobek, meluncur di kulit bumi,
memotong detik seperti kaca tipis,
meninggalkan serpihan
yang menempel di saraf
dan rasa yang tak terucap.

Bangunan menahan napas,
jalan-jalan memungut sisa langkah;
laut menelan getirnya sendiri,
menyisakan aroma logam dan garam
yang menempel di ujung indera,
membentuk malam
yang tak pernah tidur.

Kami menghadap-Mu, wahai Tuhan;
mata masih menulis bayangan,
lidah mengunyah kabar getir,
dada berdetak
seperti mesin tak beraturan.

Wahai Tuhan, kami memohon, Berilah kami petunjuk membaca hening,
mengurai rahasia
yang tak dikenal waktu.

Jika Engkau memberi terang,
biarlah ia menembus saraf,
menghidupkan kesadaran
di pikiran dan hati.
Jika Engkau memberi gelap,
biarlah ia menelan cahaya,
menyisakan rasa di ujung saraf,
mengantarkan kami menapak tanpa ragu
di lantai sejarah
yang terus berubah.

Kami tak meminta dunia lain.
Hanya hati yang tetap lembut
meski tersakiti,
tangan yang memberi tanpa pamrih,
langkah yang menguat
meski pernah tersesat,
tetap meninggalkan
jejak kebaikan.

Tahun baru ini tumbuh perlahan,
seperti akar menembus trotoar jalan,
seperti listrik menembus dinding kosong,
seperti udara merobek kulit
dan meninggalkan getaran baru
di darah.

Harapan hadir sederhana dan tegas,
cukup untuk menjaga
nurani tetap murni,
cukup untuk menyalakan kesadaran
di tengah gelapnya
hiruk-pikuk dunia.

Tahun baru ini,
jadikanlah kami lebih bijaksana,
di antara pembelokan sejarah
dan gelombang lupa.
Biarlah hela napas menjadi pelajaran,
detik menjadi kaleidoskop pengalaman,
hati menjadi laboratorium
yang mengekstraksi
warna, rasa, dan kebaikan—
menjadi puisi
bagi mereka yang berani tetap hidup
dengan keteguhan
dan kasih kemanusiaan.

_

Padang, Sumatera Barat, NKRI, 1 Januari 2026

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Tentang Penyair: Leni Marlina

Leni Marlina lahir di Baso, Agam, Sumbar, dan berdomisili di Padang. Ia merupakan penyair, penulis, dan dosen di Program Studi Sastra Inggris, FBS UNP Padang (sejak 2006).

Karya-karya terbarunya meliputi buku kumpulan puisi tunggal “The Beloved Teachers” (2025), “L-BEAUMANITY: Love, Beauty, and Humanity” (2025), serta trilogi “English Stories for Literacy” (2024-2025). Selain menulis puisi, ia aktif menulis cerpen, esai, kritik sastra, ulasan karya sastra, serta menerjemahkan beragam teks sastra dan jurnalistik.

Leni menerima penghargaan Best Writer 2025 dari SatuPena Sumbar pada International Minangkabau Literary Festival ke-3 (IMLF-3), penghargaan ACC International Literary Prize 2005 dari ACC Shanghai Huiyu International Literary Creative Media Centre, penghargaan dari komunitas sastra “The Rhythm of Vietnam” 2025.

Leni ditunjuk dan dipercayakan sebagai Indonesian Poetry Ambassador untuk ACC Shanghai Huifeng Internatioanl Literary Association (ACC SHILA), sekaligus the ASEAN Directors for ACC SHILA Poets sejak tahun 2025. Di tahun yang sama, Leni ditunjuk dan dipercayakan oleh Capital Writers International Foundation sebagai National Director (Indonesia) untuk Panorama International Literary Festival (PILF) Januari-Februari 2026 di India. (Informasi acara selengkapnya: www.panoramafestival.org).