"SEARCHING FOR YOU IN THE DEW": A Poetry Collection by Leni Marlina (PPIPM-Indonesia, Poetry-Pen IC, Indonesian Writer of Satu Pena, Indonesian Creator of AI Era, FSM, ACC SHILA)

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SEARCHING FOR YOU IN THE DEW

A Poem by Leni Marlina

[PPIPM-Indonesia, Poetry-Pen IC, Indonesian Writer of Satu Pena – West Sumatra, Indonesian Creator of AI Era, FSM, ACC SHILA]

You are the oil lamp flickering in the loneliest alley,
quivering, fading, then flaring anew.
I search for you in the dew,
finding you in droplets poised to fall,
vanishing before I can grasp them.

Your shadow—
a delicate line upon water,
unseen by breath,
yet I still call it air.
You are not merely a memory,
but a wound that refuses to heal,
for I do not wish you to disappear completely.

I resist silence with sound,
defy darkness with remembrance,
fight loss with prayer.

Jakarta
INDONESIA, 2004

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Weaving Days with Calloused Hands

A Poem by Leni Marlina

[PPIPM-Indonesia, Poetry-Pen IC, Indonesian Writer of Satu Pena – West Sumatra, Indonesian Creator of AI Era, FSM, ACC SHILA]

We are the common folk—
like rivers carving through stone,
flowing forward though held back,
pressing on though battered.

We weave our days with calloused hands,
spinning dreams from fragile threads,
threads that fray,
but always, we mend them again.

We are the common folk—
singing though our throats are dry,
dancing though the floor has cracked.
We live by gripping hope,
not as flowers laid upon an altar,
but as roots breaking through stone.

Jakarta
INDONESIA, 2004

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Wounds Concealed

A Poem by Leni Marlina

[PPIPM-Indonesia, Poetry-Pen IC, Indonesian Writer of Satu Pena – West Sumatra, Indonesian Creator of AI Era, FSM, ACC SHILA]

Here, night never truly darkens—
it is an electric veil blinking ceaselessly,
horns replacing the calls of birds.

The streets pulse with the breath of machines,
yet between asphalt and concrete,
small feet still run,
hands still bear their burdens,
even when their own shadows wilt with exhaustion.

This city is more than its towers—
it is wounds concealed,
tears wiped away before they fall.
Yet within its depths,
resilience breathes,
and a will that time cannot break.

Jakarta
INDONESIA, 2004

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Leaving My Name with the Waves

A Poem by Leni Marlina

[PPIPM-Indonesia, Poetry-Pen IC, Indonesian Writer of Satu Pena – West Sumatra, Indonesian Creator of AI Era, FSM, ACC SHILA]

I leave my name with the waves,
so they may whisper it back
should I forget the vows I once made.

We are sails battered by storms,
yet not every ship is doomed to sink,
though its wood may rot,
though the wind may be cruel.

There are names that float forever
upon the sea’s embrace,
refusing to be lost
though the current pulls them under.
That is who we are—
fragments that endure,
ripples that refuse to fade.

Jakarta
INDONESIA, 2004

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The Sky Still Weeps

A Poem by Leni Marlina

[PPIPM-Indonesia, Poetry-Pen IC, Indonesian Writer of Satu Pena – West Sumatra, Indonesian Creator of AI Era, FSM, ACC SHILA]

Once, I could read the voice of rain,
but now it is only a whisper swallowed by silence.
The sky still weeps,
but who has time to listen?

I cup my hands below
like a beggar—
not for coins,
but for lost memories to return.

The first drop lands on my fingers,
piercing cold,
like your name still lodged within me.
I know, I cannot hold back the rain,
but I can still speak with it.

Jakarta
INDONESIA, 2004

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The poetry collection above (poem no.1 – 5) were never meant for an audience. When Leni Marlina first wrote them in 2004, they were simply a way to capture thoughts, emotions, and fleeting moments—private reflections tucked away in personal notebooks. Writing was a quiet retreat, a space where words found their own rhythm, untouched by the world’s gaze.

The first ten poems in this collection were written just a month after her return from Jakarta, where she had received the First Prize in the National Outstanding Student Award (MAWAPRES) from the Ministry of Education and Culture in the same year. At the time, she had no plans to share them. But as the years passed, she revisited those verses, refining them, seeing them in a new light. Finally, in 2025, they were published for the first time in digital form, stepping beyond the pages they once called home.

Outside of poetry, Leni has remained deeply engaged in the literary and academic world. Since 2022, she has been an active member of the Indonesian Writers Association (SATU PENA), West Sumatra Chapter, as well as the Indonesian AI Creators Community. She is also part of the International Poets and Literary Writers Community (ACC) in Shanghai, where she has been entrusted as the Indonesian Poetry Ambassador for ACC Shanghai Huifeng International Literary Association. Her journey has also led her to Victoria’s Writers Association in Australia.

Her passion for language and literature extends into education, where she has been a lecturer at the Department of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Languages and Arts, Universitas Negeri Padang since 2006.

More than anything, Leni believes in the power of community—of creating spaces where writers, poets, and thinkers can connect, share, and grow. Over the years, she has founded and led several communities that bring together literature, language, and 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)

For Leni, poetry is not just about words—it is about connection, about the quiet moments that turn into something greater when shared. And this collection? It is a small part of a much larger journey, one that continues to unfold.

Note:
The Indonesian version of the poem above is available on this trusted link: