“Swimming in the Mother’s Tears”: A Poetry Collection (PPIPM-Indonesia, Poetry-Pen IC, Indonesian Writers of Satu Pena, Indonesian Creators of AI Era)
Illustration of "Swimming in a Mother's Tears": A Collection of Selected Poems (PPIPM-Indonesia, Poetry-Pen IC, Satu Pena, Kreator Era AI). Image Source: Starcom Indonesia's Artworks No. 925-96 (Assisted by AI).
/1/
Swimming in The Mother’s Tears
Poem by Leni Marlina
[PPIPM-Indonesia, Poetry-Pen IC, Indonesian Writer of Satu Pena, Indonesian Creator of AI Era, FSM, ACC SHILA]
Mother,
you are an ocean,
but no shore cradles your heart.
I am
a frail boat, wrecked before reaching the harbor.
Time’s waves swallow me whole.
I search for your voice among the ripples,
but only war’s echo replies:
“This sea no longer knows love.”
Mother,
I swim through the rivers of your sorrow,
adrift in a grief without end,
until weariness pulls me under,
to rest upon the ocean floor of memory.
Mother,
if I could weave the tides into verses,
the waves would write your story in foam and salt.
But I am only a lost child,
clutching the wind,
whispering your name,
until even the sea forgets me.
Padang, West Sumatra
Indonesia, 2022
Note:
The title of the poem in Indonesian version is “Berenang di Air Mata Ibu”.
/2/
For You, My Mother
Poem by Andi Nasri Abduh
[PPIPM-Indonesia, Poetry-Pen IC, Indonesian Writer of Satu Pena, Indonesian Creator of AI Era]
Indonesian-English Translator: Leni Marlina
Mother,
you bore me in the grip of pain,
nurtured me with the light of your soul.
O Lord,
You saw me naked—her hands dressed me.
You found me starving—her sweat became my bread.
You saw me thirsting—her breast became my river.
O God,
You found me weak,
and through her touch, I grew strong.
You found me lost,
and through her pen, I learned the world.
Yet now,
I stand tall in my wisdom,
turning my tongue to strike her down,
forgetting her countless kindnesses,
measuring her love with the scale of reason,
as if I have outgrown the mother
who once carried my whole world in her arms.
She listens, silent.
O Lord, how blind I have been.
I bury a thousand of her virtues,
but raise a single flaw like a flag.
I cover my own sins, stretching to the heavens,
yet I magnify hers, no larger than a grain of dust.
O God, what curse is this?
A child searching for a mother’s faults,
while her hands, wrinkled with time,
still hold the door open—
will I beg her forgiveness before I must beg for Yours?
Makassar, Indonesia, 2025
Note:
The title of the poem in Indonesian version is “Untukmu Ibu”.
/3/
Returning to Mother’s Embrace
Poem by Leni Marlina
[PPIPM-Indonesia, Poetry-Pen IC, Indonesian Writer of Satu Pena, Indonesian Creator of AI Era, FSM, ACC SHILA]
Mother,
your prayers cling to broken walls,
whispering through the dust,
“Where have you gone, Mother?”
The sky erases your shadow,
your face dissolving in shifting sands.
I follow the footprints of time
backward to our last embrace.
You were an olive tree, mighty and whole,
fallen now, burned to ash.
Your leaves—scattered in the river’s current.
Your branches—broken. I was one of them.
Now I hold the dust of your name,
wishing it to bloom into flowers,
but all flowers perish in this soil.
Mother,
I long to return to your arms,
but the road is a labyrinth
of bullets and tears.
Padang, West Sumatra
Indonesia, 2022
Note:
The title of the poem in Indonesian version is “Kembali ke Pelukan Ibu”.
/4/
The Mother Who Raised You
Poem by Andi Nasri Abduh
[PPIPM-Indonesia, Poetry-Pen IC, Indonesian Writer of Satu Pena, Indonesian Creator of AI Era]
Indonesian-English Translator: Leni Marlina
O Lord,
You planted a fragment of Your mercy
within a mother’s heart.
Through it, she heals me
with the breath of Your grace.
I sleep in her arms,
lulled by the whispers of Your compassion.
At midnight, she kneels before You,
praying that her child may reach the stars,
cradling the moon in his arms.
Yet when that child ascends to his dreams,
he forgets the hands that lifted him.
He sees her growing old, fading into dusk,
and leaves her behind,
entrusting the womb that bore him
to the walls of a nursing home.
“Too busy,” he says—
so he visits once a month.
Her love-filled eyes brim with tears,
her heart trembles,
her hands—once so gentle—
stroke his hair for the last time.
Her lips quiver,
as if holding back words
too heavy to be spoken:
“Is this the reward for a mother’s love?”
Makassar, Indonesia, 2025
Note:
The title of the poem in Indonesian version is “Ibu yang Membesarkanmu”.
/5/
Searching for Mother’s Face
Poem by Leni Marlina
[PPIPM-Indonesia, Poetry-Pen IC, Indonesian Writer of Satu Pena, Indonesian Creator of AI Era, FSM, ACC SHILA]
Mother,
that night, the sky cracked open—
its blue veins bled into red,
and your voice was lost in the explosions.
I called your name,
but only the wind answered,
telling me to stop hoping,
for no star remains
to shine with your light.
The night gave birth to bombs,
and dawn buried your body
beneath the rubble of the world.
Now, I gaze at the sky,
searching for your face among the clouds,
but there is no trace of you—
only longing, burning inside me.
Mother,
I do not want to hate the sky,
but it has stolen everything—
your embrace, your laughter,
and the prayers that once wrapped around my nights.
Padang, West Sumatra
Indonesia, 2022
Note:
The title of the poem in Indonesian version is “Mencari Wajah Ibu”.
/6/
A Mother’s Love, Boundless in Time
Poem by Andi Nasri Abduh
[PPIPM-Indonesia, Poetry-Pen IC, Indonesian Writer of Satu Pena, Indonesian Creator of AI Era]
Indonesian-English Translator: Leni Marlina
Mother, your love flows unbroken,
like a river that never runs dry.
Even as the sun sets on your years,
you stand firm, tending flowers in the garden.
Each day, you stroke their petals
with hands of boundless devotion.
When careless footsteps trample them,
you kneel, patient, to mend the ruin.
I watch, and my eyes fill with tears.
Could I ever love as you do, Indo’?
In your chest, a heart at peace.
In your soul, a well of grace,
untouched by the droughts of anger.
The flowers bloom at last,
and a passing stranger exclaims,
“This is the blossom I have long searched for.”
Makassar, Indonesia, 2025
Note:
The title of the poem in Indonesian version is “Kasih Ibu Sepanjang Waktu”.
(*Indo’: Mother)
/7/
Mother and Home
Poem by Leni Marlina
[Poetry-Pen IC, Indonesian Writer of Satu Pena, Indonesian Creator of AI Era, FSM, ACC SHILA]
Mother,
our home was lifted into the sky.
I watched it drift like a nightmare,
disappearing into smoke and fire.
Its pillars crumbled in mere seconds,
its roof melted into an endless night.
Only your shadow remained,
mourning amidst the ruins,
whispering prayers
you may never have finished.
Now, I live upon this empty land,
where a home no longer has an address.
My steps wander, lost,
through the labyrinth of memories you left behind.
Mother,
can I rebuild a home from your shadow?
Or must I wait here,
until your embrace returns from the air
and carries me home?
Padang, West Sumatra
Indonesia, 2022
Note:
The title of the poem in Indonesian version is “Ibu dan Rumah”.
/8/
Mother, the Earth That Forgot to Break
Poem by Leni Marlina
Mother,
you are the earth, trampled by a thousand footsteps,
scorched by the sun, drowned by seasons,
yet never once crumbling into dust.
Your tongue swallows the salt of exhaustion,
your bones gnaw through the long, silent years,
yet you remain—
a tree unshaken, though the wind
tears at your roots.
We come to you with hands that only take,
asking for warmth, for shelter,
for your arms to never know fatigue.
And you smile,
though within you, quiet fractures grow,
hidden so we may never see—
how much it aches to be the earth
that forgot how to break.
Padang, West Sumatra
Indonesia, 2022
Note:
The title of the poem in Indonesian version is “Ibu, Tanah yang Lupa Bagaimana Caranya Retak”.
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The collection of poems (No. 1, 3, 5, 7, & 8) was originally written by Leni Marlina in 2022, later revised, and first published digitally in 2025.
Leni Marlina is a celebrated Indonesian poet, writer, and educator whose works explore themes of resilience, healing, and cultural identity. A distinguished member of the literary world, she is affiliated with Indonesian Writer SATU PENA, Indonesian Creator of AI Era, and the Forum Siti Manggopoh (FSM). Internationally, she is an active member of the ACC Shanghai Huifeng International Literary Association (ACC SHILA), serving as Indonesia’s Poetry Ambassador, and has contributed to the Victoria Writers Association in Australia.
Since 2006, Leni has been a dedicated lecturer in the Department of English Language and Literature at the Faculty of Languages and Arts, Universitas Negeri Padang (UNP), Indonesia. In addition to her academic career, she has also contributed as a columnist and journalist, enriching public discourse with her insights.
Leni’s passion for literature extends beyond her own writing. She has founded and leads several impactful communities and initiatives that focus on language, literature, literacy, and social empowerment. These include:
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)
