/1/
REJECTING EMPTY RHETORIC
Poem: Leni Marlina
[UNP Padang, PPIPM-Indonesia, PPIC, Satu Pena Sumbar, KEAI, ACC SHILA, ASM, Penyala Literasi, WPM-Indonesia]
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
O wind,
you arrive faceless,
splitting through silent rooms
that have lost the shadow of conscience.
Thrones of power stand
without a spine of spirit;
they chant their own names
over and over—
until they forget meaning,
forget the world
that once taught them to weep.
We are not ink thirsting for attention,
we are ancient wounds
that refuse to be stitched
with perfumed rhetoric
that dries out all hope.
We reject the soothing of our wounds
by your endless rituals of pleasantry of empty rhetoric.
Padang, West Sumatra,
INDONESIA, 2025
/2/
FROM THE LAND NO LONGER FERTILE
(From the body of earth wounded by man)
Poem: Leni Marlina
[UNP Padang, PPIPM-Indonesia, PPIC, Satu Pena Sumbar, KEAI, ACC SHILA, ASM, Penyala Literasi, WPM-Indonesia]
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
We are the land—
once a womb for wandering seasons,
cradling rain and sun
as they laid laughter in the arms of harvest.
Now, we are stones—mute and solemn,
burial grounds for seeds
still whispering the holy names of Heaven.
You have driven nails into our spine,
raised towers of sin
on the belly of a land
that has not yet caught its breath.
But we do not wail.
We are only tired—
tired of watching the sky unravel,
its azure skin torn to shreds,
falling drop by drop
as sweat from our own foreheads.
No—
we shall not allow you
to sip from the cup of chaos
brewed in this sacred nation.
Padang, West Sumatra, 2025
/3/
THE CRY OF WATER
(From rivers chained by industry)
Poem: Leni Marlina
[UNP Padang, PPIPM-Indonesia, PPIC, Satu Pena Sumbar, KEAI, ACC SHILA, ASM, Penyala Literasi, WPM-Indonesia]
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
We are the water—
once singing life
from mountain to heart.
Now we are trapped in pipes,
squeezed into digits,
wrapped in elegy,
sold without a single prayer.
We once touched roots,
caressed moss,
kissed small village feet.
Now we are made to run
like slaves
toward reservoirs of wealth.
You sip us
without hearing our cry—
sealed in plastic clarity,
devoid of the sincerity
you once possessed.
Padang, West Sumatra,
INDONESIA, 2025
/4/
THE BODY OF THE FOREST
(Voices of trunks that have lost their sky)
Poem: Leni Marlina
[UNP Padang, PPIPM-Indonesia, PPIC, Satu Pena Sumbar, KEAI, ACC SHILA, ASM, Penyala Literasi, WPM-Indonesia]
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
We are the forest’s body—
once upright like verses
in the book of the wind.
Now we are slaughtered
by machines that hum sweetly,
by proposals that write death
in ink that smiles.
We are turned into tables,
chairs, and brochures
for the meetings of destruction.
We do not carry vengeance,
but the night is too bright now
because we no longer
shade the sky with our prayer-leaves.
Padang, West Sumatra,
INDONESIA, 2025
/5/
THE BREATH OF THE SEA
(From the chest of the ocean abandoned by man and filled with false hope’s waste)
Poem: Leni Marlina
[UNP Padang, PPIPM-Indonesia, PPIC, Satu Pena Sumbar, KEAI, ACC SHILA, ASM, Penyala Literasi, WPM-Indonesia]
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
We are the breath of the sea—
once the wind of ships,
the keeper of direction,
the caller of prayer.
We hold lives
and the names of those
who never returned home.
Now we vomit plastic
and driftwood politics
bereft of ethics.
We cry within storms,
scream through the tongues of waves,
yet you continue to build
greed’s hotels
on our patient bodies.
We do not long for revenge—
only for one human
to dive into our heart
without leaving poison behind.
Padang, West Sumatra,
INDONESIA, 2025
/6/
THE WIND THAT BEARS GRAVES
(From the air that carries the wrath of Earth)
Poem: Leni Marlina
[UNP Padang, PPIPM-Indonesia, PPIC, Satu Pena Sumbar, KEAI, ACC SHILA, ASM, Penyala Literasi, WPM-Indonesia]
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
We are the wind—
once the carrier of harvest’s scent,
and the song of grass.
Now we are messengers of grief:
bringing tales of wildfire,
of quakes,
and of bodies left
under the rubble of ambition.
We are no longer light—
we carry too much ash
you never turned into lessons.
We are not wrath itself,
only longing for pause
in a sky once clean,
free from the stench
of wounds you created.
Padang, West Sumatra,
INDONESIA, 2025
/7/
FROM THE FUTURE
(The voice unborn but already suffocating)
Poem: Leni Marlina
[UNP Padang, PPIPM-Indonesia, PPIC, Satu Pena Sumbar, KEAI, ACC SHILA, ASM, Penyala Literasi, WPM-Indonesia]
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
We are the future—
born from a womb of time
that is never granted rest.
We have not yet spoken,
but our voices are already caught
in the plastic choking sea turtles,
in forests scorched into ash,
in oceans vomiting waste
they can no longer defend against.
We have no names,
but our scars are already charted
in growth graphs
that grow without love.
We are the future—
not in need of Earth Day ceremonies.
We need humans
who do not set fire
to their homes
before their children are born.
Padang, West Sumatra,
INDONESIA, 2025
—————————–
About the Poet: Leni Marlina
Leni Marlina is a writer, poet, and lecturer from Padang, West Sumatra, INDONESIA. Deeply rooted in the realms of literature and education, she has long been a passionate advocate for literacy movements across local, national, and international platforms.
Since 2022, Leni Marlina has been an active member of the Indonesian Writers Association (SATU PENA) – West Sumatra Branch, under the leadership of Chairperson: Sastri Bakry and Secretary: Armaidi Tanjung.
In May 2025, she was honored with the prestigious title of Outstanding Writer of the Year by Satu Pena West Sumatra during the Gala Dinner of the 3rd International Minangkabau Literacy Festival (IMLF-3), held at the Governor’s Auditorium in West Sumatra on May 9th, 2025. The recognition was a tribute to her significant contributions to literature and her dedication to promoting literary culture in Indonesia and beyond.
Internationally, Leni Marlina is a member of the ACC Shanghai Huifeng International Literary Association (ACC SHILA), led by renowned Chinese poet Anna Keiko. Since 2024, she has served as Indonesia’s Poetry Ambassador for ACC SHILA, and in 2025, she was appointed Chief Representative of Poetry in Asia for the ACC SHILA Ambassadorial Group—fostering poetic and cultural diplomacy between Indonesia and the global community.
That same year, she also joined the World Poetry Movement (WPM) – Indonesia, coordinated by Sastri Bakry, with the movement’s global headquarters based in Colombia.
Earlier in her career, while pursuing her master’s degree in writing and literature in Australia (2011–2013), Leni became a member of the Victorian Writers Association, further enriching her engagement with international literary circles.
In addition to her accolades and memberships, Leni organized a major literary event on May 31, 2025: Poetry BLaD (Poetry Book Launching and Discussion) and IOSoP (International Online Seminar on Poetry). The program was sponsored by Suara Anak Negeri News in collaboration with the English Department, Faculty of Languages and Arts, Universitas Negeri Padang—showcasing her commitment to developing literary forums and nurturing poetic dialogue across cultures.
Since 2006, Leni has served as a lecturer at the Department of English Literature, Faculty of Languages and Arts, Universitas Negeri Padang, where she actively contributes to the university’s threefold mission: teaching, research, and community service. She mentors students in language, literature, creative writing, and academic composition.
Leni’s passion for literacy and community development is reflected in several social and digital-based initiatives she founded and leads, including:
1. World Children’s Literature Community (WCLC)
2. Poetry-Pen International Community (PPIC)
3. PPIPM-Indonesia (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
Starcom
5. Linguistic Talk Community (Ling-TC)
6. Literature Talk Community (Littalk-C)
7. Translation Practice Community (Trans-PC)
8. English Language Learning, Literacy, and Literary Community (EL4C)
Beyond the walls of academia, Leni also engages as a freelance journalist, columnist, editor, and digital media contributor. Her published works can be accessed by the public via this official link: https://suaraanaknegerinews.com/category/puisi-leni-marlina-bagi-anak-bangsa
