“You Are Like a Sundial, My Friend”: A Poetry Collection by Leni Marlina (PPIPM-Indonesia, Poetry-Pen IC, Indonesian Writer of Satu Pena, Indonesian Creator of AI Era, FSM, ACC SHILA)
"You Are Like a Sundial, My Friend": A Poetry Collection by Leni Marlina (PPIPM-Indonesia, Poetry-Pen IC, Indonesian Writer of Satu Pena Sumbar, Indonesia Creator of AI Era, FSM, ACC SHILA). Image Source: Starcom Indonesia's Artworks No. 925-112 (Assisted by AI).
/1/
You Are Like a Sundial, My Friend
▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪
(The Title of the Poem in Indonesian language is “Kau Laksana Jam Matahari, Kawanku”)
Poem by Leni Marlina
[PPIPM-Indonesia, Poetry-Pen IC, Indonesian Writer of Satu Pena, Indonesian Creator of AI Era, FSM, ACC SHILA]
▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪
My friend,
you are like a sundial,
undaunted by storms.
Though clouds obscure the sky,
though seasons erode the years,
you remain steadfast,
a shadow guiding me home.
In a world that rushes without rest,
you alone move unhurried,
constant,
unshaken,
needing no siren to announce your presence.
Surakarta, Indonesia, 2003
/2/
Our Friendship is Smoldering Charcoal
▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪
(The Title of the Poem in Indonesian language is “Persahabatan Kita Arang yang Membara”)
Poem by Leni Marlina
[PPIPM-Indonesia, Poetry-Pen IC, Indonesian Writer of Satu Pena, Indonesian Creator of AI Era, FSM, ACC SHILA]
▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪
They try to scatter us,
whip us with the wind,
drown our flames in torrents of rain.
Yet, we are like embers buried deep,
unseen, seeking no applause,
but alive—enduring.
No storm can snuff us out,
no deluge can quench our glow.
Beneath the ash,
we remain fire.
Surakarta, Indonesia, 2003
/3/
A Friend Who Becomes a Hill
▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪
(The Title of the Poem in Indonesian language is “Sahabat yang Menjadi Bukit”)
Poem by Leni Marlina
[PPIPM-Indonesia, Poetry-Pen IC, Indonesian Writer of Satu Pena, Indonesian Creator of AI Era, FSM, ACC SHILA]
▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪
When the earth crumbles beneath me,
and my footing slips into the void,
I find myself standing on you.
You do not grasp my hand,
nor plead for me to stay.
You simply become land—
solid, steadfast, true.
I may descend,
wander far,
but I know—
you remain a hill,
waiting in quiet patience
for my return.
Surakarta, Indonesia, 2003
/4/
Friend, You Do Not Always Shine
▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪
(The Title of the Poem in Indonesian language is “Sahabat, Kau Tak Selalu Berpendar”)
Poem by Leni Marlina
[PPIPM-Indonesia, Poetry-Pen IC, Indonesian Writer of Satu Pena, Indonesian Creator of AI Era, FSM, ACC SHILA]
▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪
Friend,
you are not always radiant,
not always the guiding light they believe.
Sometimes, you are the hollow sky,
emptied of stars,
offering no beacon in my night.
But I know,
a star never truly fades—
it only hides behind time.
And I believe,
if I gaze long enough,
I will find you shining once more.
Surakarta, Indonesia, 2003
/5/
Our Friendship
▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪
(The Title of the Poem in Indonesian language is “Persahabatan Kita”)
Poem by Leni Marlina
[PPIPM-Indonesia, Poetry-Pen IC, Indonesian Writer of Satu Pena, Indonesian Creator of AI Era, FSM, ACC SHILA]
▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪
Our friendship has no form,
no weight, no price.
It lingers in the hush between words,
in the quiet hum of knowing.
I knock three times on the table—
you hear the call.
You tap your knee ever so slightly—
I understand the story unspoken.
No one else perceives it,
but we do.
For friendship is a language
that needs no sound to be heard.
Surakarta, Indonesia, 2003
/6/
A Friend and a Shadow
▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪
(The Title of the Poem in Indonesian language is “Sahabat dan Bayangan”)
Poem by Leni Marlina
[PPIPM-Indonesia, Poetry-Pen IC, Indonesian Writer of Satu Pena, Indonesian Creator of AI Era, FSM, ACC SHILA]
▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪
At noon,
when the sun reigns high,
you are there—
mirroring me, step for step.
But when night swallows the sky,
and my silhouette dissolves into darkness,
you do not vanish.
You simply merge into me,
waiting for dawn
to bring form again.
Surakarta, Indonesia, 2003
/7/
You Remain My Friend
▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪
(The Title of the Poem in Indonesian language is “Kau Tetap Sahabatku”)
Poem by Leni Marlina
[PPIPM-Indonesia, Poetry-Pen IC, Indonesian Writer of Satu Pena, Indonesian Creator of AI Era, FSM, ACC SHILA]
▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪
No matter how far I go,
you remain, my friend—
woven into the fabric of my days.
I may shake my feet,
try to cast you off like dust,
but you stay.
Not out of force,
nor out of need,
but because something deeper than desire binds us—
a presence that asks for nothing,
yet never leaves.
Surakarta, Indonesia, 2003
/8/
The Ashes of Friendship
▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪
(The Title of the Poem in Indonesian language is “Abu Persahabatan”)
Poem by Leni Marlina
[PPIPM-Indonesia, Poetry-Pen IC, Indonesian Writer of Satu Pena, Indonesian Creator of AI Era, FSM, ACC SHILA]
▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪
No crash of thunder,
no final, searing blaze—
just the quiet crumbling of what once was.
I watch you fade,
unable to hold you back.
Fire is not always set from outside.
Sometimes, it ignites within,
turning everything to dust.
And now,
all I can do is stand still,
watching the ashes of our friendship
scatter into the indifferent wind.
Surakarta, Indonesia, 2003
/9/
The Silent Code of Friendship
▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪
(The Title of the Poem in Indonesian language is “Kode Rahasia Persahabatan”)
Poem by Leni Marlina
[PPIPM-Indonesia, Poetry-Pen IC, Indonesian Writer of Satu Pena, Indonesian Creator of AI Era, FSM, ACC SHILA]
▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪
I look at you—
a slight nod.
No one else notices,
but we know.
It is a pact without ink,
a covenant without witnesses.
Even when roads diverge,
when a thousand seasons pass,
the secret remains—
not in memory,
but in something deeper,
something untouched by forgetting.
Surakarta, Indonesia, 2003
/10/
Two Bullets on Different Paths
▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪
(The Title of the Poem in Indonesian language is “Dua Peluru di Lintasan Berbeda”)
Poem by Leni Marlina
[PPIPM-Indonesia, Poetry-Pen IC, Indonesian Writer of Satu Pena, Indonesian Creator of AI Era, FSM, ACC SHILA]
▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪
Fired from different hands,
racing through the air,
never meant to meet—
yet fate, unseen,
pulls an invisible string,
and we collide
in a single moment
before being flung apart once more.
Ours was never a tale that ran parallel,
nor a story that reached the same ending.
Yet, somewhere in the great unraveling,
our names once crossed—
and that alone makes us
kindred spirits.
Surakarta, Indonesia, 2003
————————————–
About the Author and Her Works
There was no grand plan when the words were first written—only a line of restlessness seeking refuge, a fragment of hope longing to breathe. In 2003, amidst her academic journey at the National Scientific Week for University Students (Pekan Ilmiah Mahasiswa Nasional – PIMNAS) at Universitas Negeri Surakarta, Leni Marlina unknowingly penned small verses between her reflective notes. She never imagined that, years later, those poems would come knocking at her heart once more, reviving the traces of a path she had nearly forgotten.
At that time, words were not merely a collection of letters; they were her companions in the struggle to achieve Second Place in the National Student Scientific Writing Competition (Lomba Karya Tulis Mahasiswa – LKTM) in the education category. Yet beyond academic achievement, the experience revealed something far deeper—poetry was not just about aesthetics but about power. Words held the ability to awaken, to heal, and to change one’s perspective on the world.
Twenty-two years passed. One day, Leni Marlina rediscovered those old poems, tucked away in pages that had begun to age. Some felt unfamiliar, like voices she once knew but now spoke in a different tone. Others remained close to her heart, as if they had never left. She reread them, touched each line with care, revised them with the maturity she had gained, and—with a quiet courage—decided to let them live again. The year 2025 became a new beginning, a space where these poems were given breath in the digital world.
Writing had always been a home for Leni Marlina, a place to return when the world felt too loud. But over time, she realized that literature was not merely about writing—it was about sharing, about listening, about growing together. This understanding led her deeper into the realms of education and literacy, not as someone who had ‘arrived’ but as a traveler still learning along the way.
Leni Marlina joined the Indonesian Writers’ Association (Komunitas Penulis Indonesia – SATU PENA) in West Sumatra, chaired by poet and former bureaucrat Sastri Bakry, while the national organization was founded by Denny J.A. Through this community, she gained a broader perspective on Indonesian literature, understanding the dynamics she had previously only observed from a distance. On the international stage, she became part of the ACC Shanghai International Literary Writers’ Association and was honored as Indonesia’s Poetry Ambassador for the ACC Shanghai Huifeng International Literary Association, founded and led by artist and poet Anna Keiko. During her studies in Australia in 2012, she also connected with Victoria’s Writers Association, where she learned how literature could bridge diverse cultures.
Yet among all these experiences, what Leni is most grateful for is the opportunity to share. Since 2006, she has been teaching in the English Literature Program, Department of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Languages and Arts, Universitas Negeri Padang. To her, teaching is not merely a profession but a window into understanding the world through the perspectives of her students—young minds filled with passion, questions, and an insatiable curiosity about life.
Beyond the campus, Leni has dedicated herself to creating spaces for those who wish to make language and literature part of their life’s journey. Some of the communities she founded and manages include:
1. World Children’s Literature Community (WCLC) – a space to share and nurture a love for literacy, focusing on children’s literature from around the world. Some works and activities from this community can be found at: https://shorturl.at/acFv1
2. Poetry-Pen International Community – a platform for poets across nations to voice humanity, justice, environmental concerns, and the bittersweetness of life.
3. PPIPM (Pondok Puisi Inspirasi Masyarakat) – a community that uses poetry as a medium for inspiration and social reflection. Some works and activities from this community can be seen at: https://shorturl.at/2eTSB; https://shorturl.at/tHjRI
4. Starcom Indonesia Community (Starmoonsun Edupreneur Community Indonesia) – a network connecting literature, education, and digital entrepreneurship. Some of its activities and works can be found at: https://rb.gy/5c1b02
5. Linguistic Talk Community – a discussion space for language and linguistics enthusiasts.
6. Literature Talk Community – a community for those who wish to explore the depths of literature.
7. Translation Practice Community – a place for learning and sharing in the art of translation, particularly between Indonesian and English.
8. English Language Learning, Literacy, and Literary Community (EL4C) – a community that bridges education, language, literacy, and literature.
None of these are achievements; they are part of a journey—one that she continues to walk. She believes that literature is not just about writing and reading but also about listening, understanding, and finding meaning in the stories and works we share. If there is one thing she wishes to keep doing, it is to learn and to share, for that is where literature finds its true life.
