"WE SHALL ENDURE": A Poetry Collection by Leni Marlina (PPIPM-Indonesia, Poetry-Pen International Community, Indonesian Writer of Satu Pena, Indonesian Creator of AI Era, FSM, ACC SHILA)

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/1/

WE SHALL ENDURE

Poem by Leni Marlina
(INDONESIA)

[PPIPM-Indonesia, Poetry-Pen International Community, Indonesian Writer of Satu Pena, Indonesian Creator of AI Era, FSM, ACC SHILA]
★★★★★★★★★★★★★

We are the sinews tensed along the spine of the world,
bearing burdens that no tongue has named.
We are the earth crushed beneath a thousand steps,
no one asks—how many wounds are sown?

We are the hands stitching day to night,
weaving light from the remnants of dying wicks.
We are the shadows that uphold civilization,
yet who turns back to see?

But listen—
we are not the wind that passes,
not a whisper swallowed by silence.
We are the echo that defies the void,
the ground that will not crumble beneath your feet.

For though our footprints
may fade from history’s parchment,
the vow that we were here—
and always will be—
is inscribed in air, in water, in earth,
in defiance of forgetting.

Padang, West Sumatra
INDONESIA
2014

/2/

Bones Turned to Stepping Stones

Poem by Leni Marlina
(INDONESIA)

[PPIPM-Indonesia, Poetry-Pen International Community, Indonesian Writer of Satu Pena, Indonesian Creator of AI Era, FSM, ACC SHILA]
★★★★★★★★★★★★★

Heavy footsteps have marched upon his back,
crushing bones that ceased their weeping long ago.
He is a forgotten path,
a woven carpet beneath indifferent soles.

His bones are no longer his own—
transformed into pillars
for towers he will never enter.

But see now,
his children walk on air,
and he does not grieve his shattered form.
For from his ruins,
a bridge has risen.

Padang, West Sumatra
INDONESIA
2014

/3/

A Machine That Never Stops

Poem by Leni Marlina
(INDONESIA)

[PPIPM-Indonesia, Poetry-Pen International Community, Indonesian Writer of Satu Pena, Indonesian Creator of AI Era, FSM, ACC SHILA]
★★★★★★★★★★★★★

Like rustless gears forced to spin,
even as the oil within him runs dry,
he grinds time,
devouring himself—
a cog swallowed whole by the system.

There is no ‘off’ switch for him,
no one cares if his engine burns.
He knows only one law:
to move, to endure, to labor—
to vanish.

But look now,
his children rise beyond the factory’s reach.
And that is enough—
for they are the only creation
he ever wished for.

Padang, West Sumatra
INDONESIA
2014

/4/

Fighting for a Flower That Never Bloomed

Poem by Leni Marlina
(INDONESIA)

[PPIPM-Indonesia, Poetry-Pen International Community, Indonesian Writer of Satu Pena, Indonesian Creator of AI Era, FSM, ACC SHILA]
★★★★★★★★★★★★★

You were born a bud,
yet foreign fingers plucked you too soon.
You were placed in a stranger’s window,
forced to bloom in soil that never knew your roots.

Your petals never had the grace to fall,
only to be torn by hands that cared not for seasons.
Your fragrance belonged to another,
while your stem withered—unmourned.

But see now,
your children bloom wild in fields of fairer earth,
and at last—
you, the flower that never opened,
find life
in the petals of the next generation.

Padang, West Sumatra
INDONESIA
2014

/5/

A River That Will Not Drown Its Own

Poem by Leni Marlina
(INDONESIA)

[PPIPM-Indonesia, Poetry-Pen International Community, Indonesian Writer of Satu Pena, Indonesian Creator of AI Era, FSM, ACC SHILA]
★★★★★★★★★★★★★

You are a river,
flowing from nameless springs,
sweeping through cities that forget your touch.
You bear ships heavier than your life,
yet no dock will ever call you home.

Your waters run clear for others,
but in your own depths, they darken with silt.
You cradle the dreams of strangers,
yet never drink of your own clarity.

But look now,
your children are not pulled into the same currents.
For you have ensured that this river
will never drown them in the same tide.

Padang, West Sumatra
INDONESIA
2014

/6/

Burning Not for Oneself

Poem by Leni Marlina
(INDONESIA)

[PPIPM-Indonesia, Poetry-Pen International Community, Indonesian Writer of Satu Pena, Indonesian Creator of AI Era, FSM, ACC SHILA]
★★★★★★★★★★★★★

He burns not for himself,
but to light the cigarette at his master’s lips.
He smolders,
turning to ash before he ever became a flame.

A candle ignited in the halls of greed,
but the angels will not forget his name.
He had no choice—
fire never asks if it wishes to burn.

But now, he breathes with ease,
his children grow without smoke,
without soot in their lungs.
And that is enough,
for he has turned himself to embers
for something greater than fire.

Padang, West Sumatra
INDONESIA
2014

/7/

The Mirror

Poem by Leni Marlina
(INDONESIA)

[PPIPM-Indonesia, Poetry-Pen International Community, Indonesian Writer of Satu Pena, Indonesian Creator of AI Era, FSM, ACC SHILA]
★★★★★★★★★★★★★

He is the mirror men gaze into
to measure others—
but never themselves.
He captures reflections,
but no one sees the hands that wipe away the dust.

Every scratch upon him is history,
yet no one reads.
Every crack is a wound,
yet he stands—
for a shattered mirror is never deemed of worth.

But look now,
his children no longer live in mere reflections.
For he has taught them
not just to be seen,
but to see.

Padang, West Sumatra
INDONESIA
2014

/8/

A Sea That Could Not Choose to Be Land

Poem by Leni Marlina
(INDONESIA)

[PPIPM-Indonesia, Poetry-Pen International Community, Indonesian Writer of Satu Pena, Indonesian Creator of AI Era, FSM, ACC SHILA]
★★★★★★★★★★★★★

He is an ocean that swallows storms,
yet on the maps,
they call him ‘foreign waters.’
He cradles ships laden with gold,
but his name is never inked in history.

He births pearls in his depths,
yet his hands never touch their gleam.
He surrenders, but not in defeat—
for the sea has no choice
but to be the sea.

But look now,
his children are rewriting the maps,
and this time,
his name will not be erased.

Padang, West Sumatra
INDONESIA
2014

/9/

A Shadow That Walks Alone

Poem by Leni Marlina
(INDONESIA)

[PPIPM-Indonesia, Poetry-Pen International Community, Indonesian Writer of Satu Pena, Indonesian Creator of AI Era, FSM, ACC SHILA]
★★★★★★★★★★★★★

It is but a shadow of something far greater,
forced to follow, never once asked what it desires.
It lingers behind, unseen, unsought,
yet without it, no shape ahead would ever be clear.

It stretches farther than its owner’s stride,
yet remains denied as something real.
It exists only where light allows,
never granted the right to stand alone.

But look—
its children are no longer shadows,
for it has ensured they shall rise as light
to a world too long swallowed in darkness.

Padang, West Sumatra
INDONESIA
2014

/10/

Our Echo Endures

Poem by Leni Marlina
(INDONESIA)

[PPIPM-Indonesia, Poetry-Pen International Community, Indonesian Writer of Satu Pena, Indonesian Creator of AI Era, FSM, ACC SHILA]
★★★★★★★★★★★★★

We have become voices unheard,
yet our echoes remain.
We have been the feet that uphold the world,
yet the world has never carved our names.

We have been the spine of civilization,
yet history has written down others instead.
We have been the air they breathe,
yet they never pause to wonder who built their sky.

But look—
we do not wait for the world to remember.
For our footprints are etched in all that cannot be erased.
Our children need not carry our wounds—
only walk farther,
so that we shall never fade.

Padang, West Sumatra
INDONESIA
2014

/11/

Even If We Vanish

Poem by Leni Marlina
(INDONESIA)

[PPIPM-Indonesia, Poetry-Pen International Community, Indonesian Writer of Satu Pena, Indonesian Creator of AI Era, FSM, ACC SHILA]
★★★★★★★★★★★★★

If we are no longer heard,
listen for us in the heartbeat of our children.
If we are no longer seen,
find us in their fearless steps.

We do not need monuments
to be remembered by a world that forgets.
We have carved ourselves into the dawn,
the breath that refuses to yield,
the small hands that grasp the future
without doubt, without fear.

We are not names etched in history’s books,
but we are the pulse
that keeps them written.
We are not flames kindled for celebration,
but we are the fire
that still burns
long after the last lamp is extinguished.

Padang, West Sumatra
INDONESIA
2014

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This collection of poems above (poem no. 1-11) was originally written by Leni Marlina in 2014, later revised, and first published digitally in 2025.

Leni Marlina is an 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 Marlina 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-Indonesia (Pondok Puisi Inspirasi Pemikiran 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)

Leni Marlina’s work exemplifies a profound commitment to fostering creativity, education, cultural exchange, and social advocacy. Her poetry serves as a bridge between personal reflection and universal themes, giving her influential voice in contemporary literature.