“The Doorless House”: A Poetry Collection by Leni Marlina (PPIPM – Indonesia; Satu Pena; Poetry-Pen IC; ACC Shanghai)

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The Doorless House

Poem by Leni Marlina

[PPIPM – Indonesia; Satu Pena; Poetry-Pen IC; ACC Shanghai]

Friends,
where will you seek a haven,
where will you summon your return,
when the world is but a torn veil of shadows?

The door you yearn for
was never locked—
yet your hands, too accustomed,
pound on walls of false hope.

A home is not a roof
sheltering you from storms and sun,
it is God’s quiet embrace
in the tempest of life.

Knock upon your heart, my friend.
Within, an unseen staircase
climbs toward irreplaceable peace.
There, prayers need no voice—
only silence and sincerity
become their language.

Home is not a space,
but a pause in time,
a place where you cease
to flee from your own shadow.

Clayton, Melbourne, Australia, 2011

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The Boundless Field

Poem by Leni Marlina

[PPIPM – Indonesia; Satu Pena; Poetry-Pen IC; ACC Shanghai]

Friends,
this field holds history—
it remembers each stroke of your hoe,
cradling them in weary soil.

But the earth does not simply endure—
it judges.
Is your heart moistened with prayers,
or cracked by ambition’s drought?

You plant seeds of hope,
yet forget to nurture them
with the patience of rain.
Your steps falter,
treading upon ripened grains of gratitude.

In this field,
blessings bloom not in haste.
They are born of the earth’s embrace,
from the scent of soil
that transforms into prayer.

Return, take this earth—
nestle it within your barren chest.
Let it bloom, an oasis
for your parched soul.

Clayton, Melbourne, Australia, 2011

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The Spiral Path

Poem by Leni Marlina

[PPIPM – Indonesia; Satu Pena; Poetry-Pen IC; ACC Shanghai]

Friends,
this path is more than stone and dust;
it is a spiral winding back
to the very first step.

At its beginning, gratitude is a seed.
But a seed will not grow
without roots piercing
the hardened soil of your heart.

Each step is a prayer—
but do they sink deeply,
or leave only hollow traces
on damp earth?

Happiness is no destination, my friend.
It is the lesson of the circle,
teaching you to cease your battle with time,
to forgive yourself.

In the circle’s heart,
you will stand as witness—
not merely to the world,
but to the self you had forgotten.

Clayton, Melbourne, Australia, 2011

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A Night That Chooses Silence

Poem by Leni Marlina

[PPIPM – Indonesia; Satu Pena; Poetry-Pen IC; ACC Shanghai]

Friends,
this night is not only darkness—
it is a veil drawn over voices,
waiting to be heard.

A falling star does not plummet in fatigue,
but in longing for prayers
unlifted to the heavens.

Behind the curtain of sky,
a flickering candle dances,
warring with an unseen wind.
That candle is your heart, my friend,
and the wind,
the relentless march of time.

Silence is the door
leading you back to light.
Listen—do not only speak.
Tonight,
there is no need for answers—
let your heart itself
become the prayer.

Clayton, Melbourne, Australia, 2011

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The Tides of Your Heart

Poem by Leni Marlina

[PPIPM – Indonesia; Satu Pena; Poetry-Pen IC; ACC Shanghai]

Friends,
the sea is a poem without end.
It writes itself
in every tide and surge,
in every wave that celebrates freedom.

You love the sea,
but your oars are too harsh,
striving to carve through its currents.
The sea asks only this:
surrender your ego,
let its currents carry you.

The tides rise as prayers to the heavens,
the ebb returns as tears to the earth.
Between them,
you must become the wave—
neither resisting nor yielding,
but flowing with nature’s rhythm.

Friend,
the sea does not seek to be tamed;
it seeks only to bear witness
to your heart’s slow unraveling—
until it dissolves,
finding freedom
in the currents of surrender.

Clayton, Melbourne, Australia, 2011

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Brief Biography

This collection began as a private endeavor, written in 2011 while Leni Marlina pursued her Master of Writing and Literature in Australia under an Indonesian government scholarship. These poems, once dormant, were lovingly revised and first released digitally in January 2025.

Leni is an active member of the Indonesian Writers Association (SATU PENA) West Sumatra chapter, and the Indonesian AI-Era Creative Community. She also participates in the ACC International Literary Community in Shanghai, serving as Indonesia’s Poetry Ambassador for the ACC Shanghai Huifeng International Literary Association. Since 2006, she has taught at the Department of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Languages and Arts, Universitas Negeri Padang.

She has also founded and leads numerous digital-based communities centered on literature and education, 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 (EL4)