“Rain in an Empty Letter”: A Selected Poetry Collection (PPIPM-Indonesia, Poetry-Pen IC, Indonesian Writers of Satu Pena Sumbar, Indonesian Creators of AI Era)
Illustration of "Rain in an Empty Letter"—a selected poetry collection under PPIPM-Indonesia, Poetry-Pen IC, Indonesian Writers of Satu Pena, and Indonesian Creators of AI Era. Image Source: Starcom Indonesia Artworks No. 925-93 (Assisted by AI) as the image source.
/1/
Rain in an Empty Letter
Poem by Leni Marlina
[PPIPM-Indonesia Poetry-Pen IC, Indonesiam Writer of Satu Pena Sumbar, Indonesian Creator of Era AI, FSM, ACC SHILA)
I write the rain upon a fragile page,
it drips from the tip of my pen,
dissolving words heavy with longing.
This letter pools into silence,
drifting away in its own tide,
never reaching your hands.
Outside, rain hums against the glass,
singing an elegy we never completed.
It seeps through the roof’s quiet crevices,
tracing the walls,
seeking a door into your heart.
Perhaps it is more faithful than prayers,
more persistent than promises,
louder than the echoes of memory.
Yet you close your window still,
letting the rain knock in vain.
And so, it fades into hush,
and in the pale breath of dawn,
you find the letter—
emptied of everything.
_ Burwood, Melbourne,
Australia, 2011
NOTE:
The poem’s original title in Indonesian languange is “Hujan Dalam Surat Kosong”
/2/
The Tale of Rain
Poem by Muliaty Mastura Yusuf
[PPIPM-Indonesia Poetry-Pen IC, Indonesiam Writer of Satu Pena Sumbar, Indonesian Creator of Era AI]
Indonesian-English Translator: Leni Marlina
From water to water it flows,
From sea, lake, river, it rises,
A vapor climbing to the heavens.
There, in the sky, it transforms,
From breath to liquid,
Shaping clouds, heavy with promise,
Hanging low, whispering rain.
Picture the dry season,
The earth cracked, gasping for life.
And then the rain arrives—
Farmers greet it with joy,
Fields drink deeply,
Nurturing the dream of harvest.
Rain, the answer to longing,
After endless months of thirst.
But too much, and the earth drowns—
Floods fill the streets,
Turning roads into rivers,
Mountains crumble in landslides.
The rain lulls me into sleep,
Until—drop by drop—
It slips through the ceiling,
Seeping through the walls,
Flowing down to the floor,
Finding its way to the washing machine.
From above, it falls to below,
Buckets catch its steady rhythm,
But the rhythm overflows.
Old clothes, soaked,
I wipe the floor,
Holding back the flood.
Which of your Lord’s blessings will you deny?
Elsewhere, the rain is crueler,
Homes swallowed, a meter high, or more.
Families flee to the mosque,
Sleep restless in the cold,
Shivering, hungry,
Children struck by fever,
Skin itching,
As they struggle to sleep.
The rain never ends,
Floods sweep away homes,
Trees fall, landslides claim,
Crops ruined, harvests lost,
The price of vegetables soars.
When the rain finally relents,
The waters slowly recede,
They return to their homes,
Cleaning the mud that passed through.
I give thanks.
The rain does not disturb my world,
While elsewhere, homes are drowned,
People trapped in floods within their own walls.
I pray to the Almighty,
That the rhythm of the earth,
The cycle of water,
May never destroy the foundation of life.
The tale of rain reminds me,
To always seek shelter in prayer.
_ Somba Opu, South Sulawesi Indonesia
Friday, Januari 31st, 2025
NOTE:
The poem’s original title in Indonesian languange is “Cerita Hujan”.
—————————
*Muliaty Mastura Yusuf is an active writer residing in Somba Opu, Gowa, South Sulawesi.
/3/
RAIN
Poem by Leni Marlina
[PPIPM-Indonesia, Poetry-Pen IC, Indonesian Writer of Satu Pena Sumbar, Indonesian Creator of AI Era, FSM, ACC SHILA]
The rain descends like a mother in the twilight of her years,
walking the night with whispered prayers,
murmuring our names through every drop,
tracing roads we’ve long since abandoned,
knocking softly on windows that no longer open.
In her veins, memories flow aimlessly,
and in her heart, a vengeance that never became a river.
She taps the earth with patience,
calling us home, before dust claims what is rightfully hers.
But we stand, behind the door,
refusing the wet, refusing the past.
We let it fall, and fade,
like a love we never answered.
Until, at last, she grows tired,
taking with her half of our name,
left in the dreams she carries.
_ Burwood, Melbourne
Australia, 2011
NOTE:
The Indonesian title of the poem above is “Hujan”.
/4/
When the Time Comes
Poem by Muslimin
[PPIPM-Indonesia, Poetry-Pen IC, Indonesian Writer of Satu Pena Sumbar, Indonesian Creator of AI Era)
Indonesian-English Translator: Leni Marlina
When the time comes,
the rain will fall unbidden,
when the time comes,
the torrents will nourish, in turns,
when the time comes,
the plants will ripen in their green embrace.
When the time comes,
prayers will bloom into reality,
clear as the waters of a lake,
lotus flowers opening,
mirroring the face of joy.
Pain, it turns out, can be the guide,
and tears the support of our suffering.
We move step by step,
through turns and climbs,
down steep cliffs that pull us back,
slippery paths that soften ambitions and illusions.
When the time comes,
everything beautiful will unfold.
_ Lamongan, East Java,
Indonesia
January 27th, 2025
NOTE:
The Indonesian title of the poem above is “Jika Sudah Masanya”.
————————————–
Muslimin, known as Cak Mus, was born in Lamongan, East Java, on May 20, 1969. He graduated from SMAN 2 Lamongan and continued his studies at IKIP Negeri Surabaya, majoring in Indonesian Language. He has been teaching since 1991 at MTs A. Wahid Hasyim Tikung, SMP-SMA Tashwirul Afkar Sarirejo, SMP Islam Tikung, PKBM Mahayana, and PKBM Mizan Lamongan. He is active in the PERGUNU Lamongan and the Bahtsul Masail Institution of MWC NU Tikung Lamongan.
/5/
The Rain Walks Away from Memory
Poem by Leni Marlina
[PPIPM-Indonesia, Poetry-Pen IC, Indonesian Writer of Satu Pena Sumbar, Indonesian Creator of AI Era, FSM, ACC SHILA]
The rain walks to earth,
its cloak frayed,
tracing paths once familiar.
Yet cities have erased its name,
rooftops shut themselves away,
rivers refuse its voice.
It taps the window,
but the glass only mirrors silence,
it greets the trees,
but the roots have forgotten the tongue of water.
In the alleyways of light, it asks,
“Do you still remember me?”
And so, the rain walks,
drifting away from the memory of the world,
becoming mist in unfamiliar hills,
becoming dew unsure whether to fall upon the grass.
Only at night does it cry slowly,
with tears the earth no longer knows.
_ Burwood, Melbourne, Australia, 2011
NOTE:
The Indonesian title of the poem above is “Hujan Berjalan Jauh Dari Ingatan”.
/6/
Wanting the Rain, But Not the Wet
Poem by Leni Marlina
[PPIPM-Indonesia, Poetry-Pen IC, Indonesian Writer of Satu Pena Sumbar, Indonesian Creator of Era AI, FSM, ACC SHILA]
Have you ever seen rain stumble upon the pavement,
humiliated by wheels that hurry home?
Have you heard it weep in the gutters,
caught between plastic and the sins of mankind?
Upon the glass rooftops of towering giants,
rain finds no refuge.
It can only fall with greater force,
a hollow thud, no longer romantic.
In the corridors of night,
it bears unspoken prayers,
laughing bitterly at humankind,
who pray for rain and blessings,
yet refuse to be touched by its embrace.
_ Burwood, Melbourne Australia, 2011
NOTE:
The Indonesian title of the poem above is “Ingin Hujan, Tapi Tak Ingin Basah”.
/7/
The Rain That Dies in the Air
Poem by Leni Marlina
[PPIPM-Indonesia, Poetry-Pen IC, Indonesia Writer of Satu Pena, Indonesian Creator of Era AI]
The rain that never became rain,
lingers in the sky like an unkept promise.
It yearns to fall,
to cradle the earth,
but the wind ambushes it, slapping it back behind the clouds.
It watches a flight of birds pass,
asking,
“Where is my home?”
But they only flap their wings,
whispers of silence, unwilling to reply.
In the heart of the heavens, it festers,
becoming a shapeless mass that has lost its color,
a yearning that never reaches its destination,
a rain that dies before it touches the air.
_ Burwood, Melbourne Australia, 2011
NOTE:
The Indonesian title of the poem above is “Hujan yang Mati di Udara”.
/8/
The Rain Falls
Poem by Leni Marlina
[PPIPM-Indonesia, Poetry-Pen IC, Indonesia Writer of Satu Pena, Indonesian Creator of Era AI]
The rain falls,
not merely water descending from the heavens,
but fingers of mist,
stitching together the rift of dawn.
It comes as the reverberation of silence,
caressing the bruises of the weary earth,
awakening the dampened scent of the soil’s body,
like a prayer forgotten by the wind.
The leaves tremble in their slumber,
catching fragments of memories fading,
while the river stirs from its rest,
transforming grief into crystal song.
I stand beneath the open sky,
letting each droplet pierce my skin,
for the rain is not just cold,
but warmth arriving in an unfamiliar form.
And when the clouds shed their cloak,
unveiling the sun’s face once more,
I understand,
the rain was never just an arrival or departure—
it rewove the world
between the ruins of light and the shadows of dreams.
_ Burwood, Melbourne Australia, 2011
NOTE:
The Indonesian title of the poem above is “Hujan Jatuh”.
———————–
The poetry collection above in Indonesian languange is entitled “Hujan Dalam Surat Kosong”.
This collection of poems (No. 1, 3, 5, 6, 7 & 8) was originally written bilingually (English-Indonesian) by Leni Marlina in 2011 as a personal endeavor—an intimate reflection of her literary journey while completing the early phase of her Master of Writing and Literature (Literary Studies, Creative Writing & Children’s Literature) in Australia. Supported by an Indonesian government scholarship, these poems remained a private archive for years, revisited and refined over time. In 2025, for the first time, they began to emerge into the world, finding their way to readers through digital platforms.
Leni is an active member of the Indonesian Writers Association (SATU PENA), particularly its West Sumatra chapter since its inception in 2022. She is also community member of the Indonesian Creator of AI Era and member of the International Writers and Poets Community (ACC) in Shanghai. In 2024, she was honored with the title of Indonesian Poetry Ambassador for the ACC Shanghai Huifeng International Literary Association. Her engagement in literary circles extends back to her time with Victoria’s Writers Association in Australia. Since 2006, she has devoted herself to academia, teaching in the English Language and Literature Department at the Faculty of Languages and Arts, Universitas Negeri Padang, Indonesia.
Beyond academia, Leni has founded and led multiple digital communities dedicated to literature, language, education, and social empowerment. Her initiatives serve as bridges between cultures, fostering literary dialogue and creative expression on both national and international scale. Among them are:
1. World Children’s Literature Community (WCLC): https://shorturl.at/acFv1
2. Poetry-Pen International Community – A global platform for poets and writers.
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 – A forum for linguistic discussions and exploration.
6. Literature Talk Community – A space for literary conversations and critique.
7. Translation Practice Community – A hub for translation enthusiasts and professionals.
8. English Language Learning, Literacy, and Literary Community (EL4C) – Supporting English literacy and creative writing development.
