“TO ALL WISE TEACHERS”: A Poetry Collection by Leni Marlina (UNP Padang, PPIPM-Indonesia, Poetry-Pen International Community, Satu Pena Sumbar, KEAI, ASM, Literacy Flame, ACC SHILA, WPM-Indonesia)
/1/
Before the Alphabet Touched the Earth
Poem by Leni Marlina
[UNP Padang, PPIPM-Indonesia, PPIC, Satu Pena – West Sumatra, KEAI, ASM, Literacy Community – West Sumatra, ACC SHILA, WPM-Indonesia]
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
Before the alphabet touched the earth,
You were the meaning in prostration
between the hush and the light.
You did not merely teach us sound—
but conscience,
that knows when to be silent
and to whom it must bow.
You were not merely a teacher:
you were the sacred pause,
offering our souls the space
to learn the essence of surrender
without being commanded.
We stand today
because you chose to become the soil
willing to be stepped upon—
so the sky might grow within our tender chests.
Padang, West Sumatera Province, INDONESIA, 2025
/2/
TO ALL TEACHERS IN THE WORLD
Poem by Leni Marlina
[UNP Padang, PPIPM-Indonesia, PPIC, Satu Pena – West Sumatra, KEAI, ASM, Literacy Community – West Sumatra, ACC SHILA, WPM-Indonesia]
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
We did not find you
standing upon a podium,
nor within the pages of books you have written.
We found you in silence—
the kind that asks not to be named,
in a light
that refused the spotlight
lest it blind our still-learning eyes.
You were not a figure,
not even a name.
You were the space
between a question and understanding,
between forgetting and illumination,
emerging slowly
when the heart is humbled enough
to truly listen.
Your steps did not march ahead,
but the ground softened
wherever you had walked.
We followed—
not from command,
but because your footprints
pointed a way
that did not burden,
but awakened.
You did not raise your voice,
but in your silence
we learned
that the deepest truths
often require no words.
Your courtesy—
was like water
that refused to become waves
even when struck by stones of error.
It was like time,
not knocking,
but slipping quietly in
to shape us
from within.
Your knowledge—
not a tower,
but a root—
unseen from above,
yet clinging to us
when the winds of life
threatened to uproot our certainty.
Your patience was not loud.
It came like dew:
unseen in its arrival,
unheard in its leaving,
yet leaving clarity
on the faces
once clouded by longing.
Only now we understand:
your silence wasn’t inability to respond,
but refusal
to defeat anyone
in a space meant to uplift.
We kissed your hand
not out of tradition,
but because at your fingertips
was a small paradise—
once pointing to the first letters,
turning them into meaning,
and meaning into light
that never dims,
even as your body
no longer stands before us.
Now, you bow
like night that understands
when it is time
to let the dawn speak.
Your name has vanished
from the blackboard,
yet it is etched
in our hearts
as a love
that does not bind,
but sets us free.
You are not “teacher.”
That word is too narrow.
You are the passage
between forgetfulness and awakening,
between humankind and conscience,
between this world
and what lies beyond it.
And when we speak your name,
it is not a sound,
but an echo
of the only light
that never asked
to be returned.
Our prayers
can never repay your gift.
But if you ask
what we have inherited,
look at how we now try
to love this world
without needing to own it.
And if that light ever returned
to its Source,
we bear witness:
it never died.
It simply moved—
into the hearts
you once touched
on your tireless journey
paved with sweat,
never seeking applause.
Padang, West Sumatra, INDONESIA, 2025
/3/
SHOULDERS THAT BEAR CONSTELLATIONS OF GRIEF
Poem by Leni Marlina
[UNP Padang, PPIPM-Indonesia, PPIC, Satu Pena – West Sumatra, KEAI, ASM, Literacy Community – West Sumatra, ACC SHILA, WPM-Indonesia]
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
No book was ever too heavy.
What you bore were
orphaned syllables
still fumbling to spell out sorrow.
Each morning,
you flung the sun
into eyes nearly extinguished—
never once asking dawn
to speak your name.
Your shoulders, Teachers—
not merely bone,
but a seasonal altar:
cradling the restless galaxies
of children
who have forgotten
how to cry completely.
Thank you, Teachers.
You did not raise us to the heavens—
you lowered heaven itself
so we could learn to stand,
even if trembling.
Padang, West Sumatera Province, INDONESIA, 2025
/4/
THE TEACHERS IN OUR EYES
Poem by Leni Marlina
[UNP Padang, PPIPM-Indonesia, PPIC, Satu Pena – West Sumatra, KEAI, ASM, Literacy Community – West Sumatra, ACC SHILA, WPM-Indonesia]
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
We did not learn from your voice—
but from your shadow
that refused to steal the light:
like the moon
that never sought to replace the sun,
yet because of it,
our night never lost its way.
You were not a name in books,
nor an echo resounding on the podium—
but a silence
that restrained itself from judgment;
and there, for the first time,
we understood that learning
is not born of fear—
but of the courage to grow.
In your eyes—
we saw boats
on the verge of breaking,
yet never sinking—
for you mended not with nails,
but with silence
stronger than steel,
truer than an oath,
more patient than time.
Your steps—
were not commands that led,
but fine needles
that stitched the wounds
of voiceless generations
without applause.
Yet their trace remained in our chests—
an invisible scars
guarding us
from losing the meaning.
You did not write on the board—
you wrote upon
the fog of our weary souls,
until letter by letter
became meaning,
meaning became light,
and light became a path
even tears could not dissolve.
Teachers—
you never asked for your name
to be spoken aloud.
You folded your peak
into the folds of time,
so we could climb
without lowering ourselves,
so we could become sky—
not mere birds
that scream and scatter
in the wind’s uproar.
You taught us:
that manners are not rules under watch,
but fire—
burning arrogance into ash,
and water—
drowning pride
until we grew
not from command,
but from love—
for the seed you once planted
with an unspoken prayer.
And now—
if we can read
the world from its deepest cracks,
it is because you once became
a night that never demanded dawn,
but let us
ignite our own lantern
within a body
learning to shine.
Your name—
we do not shout.
We keep it
in a chamber of smokeless silence,
like embers
that never scorch
but warm the compass
guiding our steps toward the world—
with hearts
you once taught
how to hold the sky
without wounding the earth.
Padang, West Sumatera Province, INDONESIA, 2025
/5/
YOU, WHO BECAME PRAYER
Poem by Leni Marlina
[UNP Padang, PPIPM-Indonesia, PPIC, Satu Pena – West Sumatra, KEAI, ASM, Literacy Community – West Sumatra, ACC SHILA, WPM-Indonesia]
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
You never asked us to believe—
you became a prayer
that required no voice,
no thunder of amen.
When we chose in stillness,
when we broke yet did not scatter,
it was not strength that held us:
but the silence you sowed—
now a root
that holds the tree
against the ruin of storms.
Your nights
never demanded dawn—
yet from their depths,
our first light
was born.
Thank you, Teacher.
You became a flame
inside silence,
so we could learn
to be light
that sees without eyes.
Padang, West Sumatera Province, INDONESIA, 2025
/6/
YOU, WHO COULD NOT BE FORGOTTEN
Poem by Leni Marlina
[UNP Padang, PPIPM-Indonesia, PPIC, Satu Pena – West Sumatra, KEAI, ASM, Literacy Community – West Sumatra, ACC SHILA, WPM-Indonesia]
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
You never wished to be remembered—
and because of that,
you remain unforgettable.
Your teachings were not phrases,
but pebbles in our soles—
they stung,
so direction could be felt,
not simply heard.
We did not become you.
We became our own shapes,
because you were not a mirror—
but the sky,
granting us flight
without burning our wings.
Thank you, Teacher.
You taught us to love truth
even when no one listens,
and to turn from victory
that crushes another’s name.
Padang, West Sumatra, INDONESIA, 2025
/7/
Our Prayer for the Teachers
Poem by Leni Marlina
[UNP Padang, PPIPM-Indonesia, PPIC, Satu Pena – West Sumatra, KEAI, ASM, Literacy Community – West Sumatra, ACC SHILA, WPM-Indonesia]
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
We bring no garlands of glory today—
only footsteps,
tired and trembling,
still seeking your shadow
in the hush between days.
Time carves your name in quiet stone—
not because you asked to be remembered,
but because the light
rose from the seeds
you sowed in silence.
From the fissures of our worn hands,
a prayer unfurls,
ascending
to the sky you once lowered to earth—
so we might learn
to become the sky itself,
even when all we have
is dust beneath our feet.
Padang, West Sumatera Province, INDONESIA, 2025
———————————
About Leni Marlina: A Literary Voice from West Sumatra, Indonesia, to the World
Leni Marlina is a writer, poet, and academic from 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 has been an active member of the Indonesian Writers Association (SATU PENA) – West Sumatra Chapter, 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 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.
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/
Her 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) – Visit 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)
Through her literary works, creative writings, and literacy-based social movements, Leni Marlina continues to ignite the flame of inspiration—from campus to community, from word to meaning, from local wisdom to the global stage—alongside her mentors, colleagues, fellow writers, and loyal readers from Indonesia and beyond.
Read more:
untuk-para-guru-…la-wpm-indonesia
