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The Ocean of Parents’ Love
Poem by Leni Marlina
Child, you are a ship adrift on boundless seas,
your sails woven from our fervent prayers.
The ocean stretches endlessly,
yet our love plunges deeper than its darkest fathoms.
When tempests shred your sails and scatter your way,
remember the steadfast harbor of our arms,
waiting, unyielding,
as constant as the sun’s unfailing return.
We ask not for your ceaseless return,
only that your heart knows,
our waves will carry you ever onward,
to the haven of your own happiness.
Bali, 2013
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Between Stars and Rain
Poem by Leni Marlina
Stars cascade above you, child,
like petals of our love strewn upon your path.
The rain descends, sinking deep into the soil you tread,
while we, the unseen roots,
anchor the world beneath your stride.
You wander through the veil of rain and light,
seeking your course in the cosmos we wove with prayer.
We are the silent night,
awaiting the dawn you bring forth,
your small steps reverberating
through the unending chambers of our hearts.
No distance could sever us,
for we remain your shadow among the stars,
a quiet sentinel guarding your fleeting days.
Bali, 2013
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Under the City Sky
Poem by Leni Marlina
The sky above this city whispers riddles,
a timeless enigma veiled in flickering lights.
We tread beneath its frigid glow,
gathering fragments of hope,
building bridges to carry you, child.
Child, this city is a maze of longing,
but every corner cradles our story—
sweat etched upon pavements of unyielding dreams,
prayers pressed to windowpanes of sleepless nights.
You are a flame trembling beneath weary neon,
a fragile light we shield
against the unrelenting chaos.
Fear not the labyrinth’s pull,
for beyond the shadows,
our love charts your path home.
Bali, 2013
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The Voice of Earth and Root
Poem by Leni Marlina
Child, press your ear to the earth—
hear its whispers echo our souls,
buried deep within the roots that cradle your life.
We are the soil that bears you,
the wind that stirs the leaves of your dreams.
Trace the cracks of parched ground; they speak of us—
struggles that nourished the tree you’ve become.
You are the fruit of our quiet prayers,
sweetened by toil unseen, unsung.
When storms rage and threaten to fell you,
remember, we are the roots
clinging to earth with unyielding love,
anchoring you to a world that will never forsake its child.
Bali, 2013
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The Moon’s Silent Embrace
Poem by Leni Marlina
We are the moon, child—
mute, yet luminous in devotion to your night.
Our love whispers, unsaid but unyielding,
etched into the chambers of hearts that do not tire.
You are the shadow pirouetting in our light,
a fleeting joy that glistens in our quiet glow.
We do not need words,
for love flows like a brook,
finding its way between the stoniest silence.
When the night stretches vast and still,
remember, we are here—
not with laughter, nor clamor, but quietude,
like the moon’s embrace of its eternal sky,
steadfast, and silently aglow.
Bali, 2013
———–
Biography
This collection of poems was initially written by Leni Marlina as a personal hobby and private compilation in 2013, during her participation in the International Conference on Children’s Literature in Bali.
Revised and refined over the years, the poems were published for the first time through digital platforms in January 2025.
Leni Marlina has been an active member of the Indonesian Writers Association (SATU PENA), West Sumatra Chapter, since its establishment in 2022, and is also involved in the Indonesian AI Creators Community. Additionally, she is a distinguished member of the International Poetry and Literary Writers Community (ACC) in Shanghai and serves as Indonesia’s Poetry Ambassador to the ACC Shanghai Huifeng International Literary Association. Leni has also collaborated with the Victoria’s Writers Association in Australia.
Since 2006, she has dedicated herself as a lecturer in the English Language and Literature Study Program at the Faculty of Languages and Arts, Universitas Negeri Padang.
Leni Marlina has also founded and led several social, linguistic, literary, and digital literacy communities, 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)
