“When the Leaves Fall and Speak”: A Poetry Collection by Leni Marlina (PPIPM-Indonesia, Poetry-Pen IC, Satu Pena Sumbar, Creators of the AI Era, FSM, ACC SHILA)
Illustration for "When the Leaves Fall and Speak": A Poetry Collection by Leni Marlina (PPIPM-Indonesia, Poetry-Pen IC, Satu Pena Sumbar, Kreator Era AI, FSM, ACC SHILA). Image Source: Starcom Indonesia Artworks No. 925-80 (Assisted by AI).
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When the Leaves Fall and Speak
Poetry by Leni Marlina
I fall.
But I am not just a leaf.
I am a verse torn from the sacred script,
slipping through winds that have forgotten their breath.
Yet, I do not weep.
I know, this is my path to return.
I fall.
But I am not just a leaf.
I am an ancient rhyme, unread,
decaying within the pages of time,
forsaken by eyes that no longer wish to remember.
I do not curse.
I know, that which is forgotten still carries its meaning.
I fall.
But I am not just a leaf.
I am a body lost to the way home,
sinking in exhaustion,
floating in surrender,
yellowing in unease,
and at last, I collapse.
I do not fear.
I know,
the earth that receives me
is not the end,
but a beginning, a passage to something far greater than me.
Canberra, Australia, 2012
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The Falling Leaf
Poetry by Leni Marlina
The leaf falls,
one,
another,
one more—
and I hear its voice.
It falls,
not by choice,
but because the tree has forgotten how to hold it.
A body no longer pleading,
eyes that have lost their light,
hands that no longer grasp.
The leaf falls,
one,
another,
one more—
and I feel it within me.
Look,
the leaf is not just a leaf—
it is me,
it is you,
every soul aging in silence,
yellowing in a waiting we never prepared for.
The leaf falls,
one,
another,
one more—
and I see time weaving itself.
Time is not the clock upon the wall,
time is the vein that withers,
the bone that bends,
the breath that shortens.
Time is the leaf falling—
one,
another,
one more,
until we lose count of how many remain.
And when the last leaf drifts,
it whispers:
“You too shall fall.”
The wind replies:
“Yes, you too shall fall.”
The earth awaits:
“I have been waiting for you.”
Then silence,
then falling,
then returning home.
Canberra, Australia, 2011
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Humans and the Falling Leaf
Poetry by Leni Marlina
Look at them,
standing beneath the tree,
believing that the green is forever,
believing the branch will never release.
But I know,
nothing endures but the journey.
Look at them,
laughing beneath its shade,
believing the light never fades,
believing time is without teeth.
But I understand,
each dawn brings its shadows,
each dusk erases its trace.
Look at them,
finally feeling their own face,
discovering fine cracks in their skin,
hearing the small creak in their bones,
watching themselves fall, one by one—
without ever saying goodbye
to the green they once adored.
I am unafraid.
I choose to accept,
to release myself with dignity,
for when the time comes,
falling is not ruin,
falling is returning to the origin,
undertaking the journey of meaning.
Canberra, Australia, 2012
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We, the Falling Leaves
Poetry by Leni Marlina
These branches shudder at the close of the season,
like hands that have lost their grasp.
Once, they embraced the wind,
now, they only remember the feeling.
But I do not mourn.
I choose to loosen my grip,
for the wind comes and goes,
and I need not always hold it.
These boughs groan in the rain,
like bodies that have forgotten how to stand.
Once, they held up the sky,
now, they wait for the moment to break.
But I do not regret.
I choose to bow to time,
for the sky needs no support,
and I need not carry what cannot be held forever.
And we,
we are the tree growing lonelier,
our leaves falling,
until all that remains is a dry trunk
awaiting its turn
to become earth.
We do not flee.
We choose to become the earth,
for from the earth,
life will always find its way back.
Canberra, Australia, 2012
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This poetry collection was originally written bilingually (English-Indonesian) by Leni Marlina as a personal endeavor and private collection in 2012 while she was undertaking the Master of Writing and Literature program in Australia under an Indonesian government scholarship. The poems were later revised and began to be published gradually for the first time through digital media in 2025.
Leni is an active member of the Indonesian Writers Association, SATU PENA, West Sumatra chapter, since its establishment in 2022, and a member of Indonesia’s AI Era Creators Community. Additionally, she is a member of the Shanghai-based International Literary Association, ACC, and has been honored as the Indonesian Poetry Ambassador for ACC Shanghai Huifeng International Literary Association. She was also previously involved in the Victoria Writers Association in Australia. Since 2006, she has dedicated herself as a lecturer in the English Language and Literature Department, Faculty of Languages and Arts, Universitas Negeri Padang.
Beyond her academic career, Leni has founded and led various digital-based communities and initiatives focused on language, literature, education, and social empowerment, 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)
Through her poetry and literary activism, Leni continues to explore the intersection of art, language, and social change, believing that words—however simple—can be a force of inspiration, resilience, and transformation.
