Leni Marlina's Poems Collection: "When Ramadhan Returns"

/1/

When Ramadhan Returns

Poem by Leni Marlina

–
In the beginning, there was hunger and thirst.

Not merely an empty hollow,
but an unseen cavity
at the center of your being.

There is a hunger bread and rice can heal.
There is a hunger that bows to nothing
except meaning.

There is a thirst water can quiet at once.
There is a thirst no instant remedy can satisfy
the thirst for knowledge,
for life itself.

Ramadhan comes
like fire without smoke.
It does not scorch your skin;
it burns your illusions.

The illusion that you are sufficient.
The illusion that you are central.
The illusion that the world turns
for your comfort.

You stand between two abysses:
the body that demands,
the soul that insists.

The first cries until sunset.
The second may remain silent for years
without ever being filled.

The sky does not judge you.
It becomes a vast mirror
reflecting your face
without its mask.

And slowly you begin to see:
it is not only your stomach that is hungry,
not only your throat that thirsts,
but your humanity.

–

Melbourne, Australia, 2012

—

/4/

Ramadhan and an Experiment of the Soul

Poem by Leni Marlina

–

Ramadhan is a laboratory of the soul.

Here, your ego is summoned
to the center of the field
and asked to remove its crown.

No titles.
No status.
No social identity.

Only human beings
equally thirsty for mercy.

You see yourself divided.

One side desires instant miracles:
problems solved, prayers answered, life made light.

The other begins to understand:
the greatest miracle is not a change of circumstance,
but a change in the direction of the heart.

To forgive when you could retaliate
that is a silent revolution.

To give when you feel you lack
that is a hidden victory.

To cease hating
in a world devoted to resentment
that is courage without applause.

The sky does not always split open.
Sometimes it splits your ego.

And from that fracture
a small light grows.

–

Melbourne, Australia, 2012

—

/6/

On the Eve of the Final Night of Ramadhan

Poem by Leni Marlina

–

The takbir has not yet sounded,
yet its tremor travels
through the bones of time.

The sky feels near
as if it breathes above your head.

You stand
not as a saint,
not as a hero

only a human being
who finally understands:

The miracle of prayer
is not when God bends to your will,
but when He softens your will.

Love is not a concept.
It must incarnate.

Become the hand that lifts.
Become the word that heals.
Become the courage to stand
on the side of what is right
even alone.

If Ramadhan only makes you diligent in prayer,
you have touched merely its surface.

But if it makes you
more sensitive to wounds,
more gentle toward the weak,
more just toward the different

then the sky has truly descended
into your bloodstream.

–

Melbourne, Australia, 2012

—

/7/

Now You Understand

Poem by Leni Marlina

–

Now you understand.

The fire of fasting is not to scorch the world,
but to forge conscience.

Prayer is not an escape from reality,
but fuel to transform it.

And humanity
is the space
where God and human beings
meet without distance.

You are still hungry.
You are still fragile.
You are still learning.

Yet within your chest
something has grown
that cannot be erased:

the awareness
that being human
is a daily miracle
that must be defended
through action.

And perhaps
that is the greatest poem
not the one written on paper,
but the one written
with a life
brave enough
to become light for humanity
by God’s permission.

–

Melbourne, Australia, 2012

About the Poetry Collection & the Poet – Leni Marlina

The poetry collection above was written and kept unpublished for the first time in 2012 during the poet’s postgraduate study in Writing & Literature program in Australia. After more than a decade, it is finally published in 2026 on the digital platform of Suaranegerinews.com, making these early works accessible to readers worldwide.

Leni Marlina is an Indonesian poet, writer, and lecturer in the English Department, Faculty of Languages and Arts, Universitas Negeri Padang, where she has served as a civil servant lecturer since 2006. Her recent works include the poetry collections “The Beloved Teachers” (2025) and “L-BEAUMANITY: Love, Beauty, and Humanity” (2025), as well as the trilogy “English Stories for Literacy” (2024–2025).

In addition to poetry, Leni actively writes short stories, essays, literary criticism, and reviews, and translates a wide range of literary and journalistic texts for both national and international digital platforms. Her work consistently positions language as a space for reflection, empathy, and the affirmation of human dignity.

Beyond her academic career, Leni is deeply engaged in literary and cultural journalism. She contributes as a freelance writer and editor to multiple digital platforms, including Suara Anak Negeri News (suaraanaknegerinews.com) and Negeri News (negerinews.com), focusing on education, literacy, literature, culture, and humanitarian values. Both platforms share a unified mission: “giving voice to those who cannot speak.”

Leni’s contributions to literature have been recognized with numerous awards. She received the Best Writer Award 2025 from SATU PENA West Sumatra at the 3rd International Minangkabau Literary Festival (IMLF-3), chaired by Sastri Bakry. She was also honored with the ACC International Literary Prize 2025 from the ACC Shanghai Huiyu International Literary Creative Media Centre, and received recognition from the international literary community The Rhythm of Vietnam (2025).

—

The Indonesian version of the poetry collection above is available in official link below: