Poem by Leni Marlina
/1/
I am the silent earth,
watching and tearing apart my layers,
digging deep until my blood flows,
taken, sold, transported to foreign lands,
where my love becomes nothing but remnants,
a voice lingering between shadows and whispers.
I bear dusty wounds that never heal.
/2/
I am the soil beneath your feet,
but beneath this mud, I hold a longing,
a longing to embrace you,
my children who betrayed their promise,
you sprinkle dust in my eyes,
blinding my direction until I am lost
in the silence that devours itself.
Still, I long for you, my children, more than mere love.
/3/
I want to be remembered, not just grasped,
not merely hugged with empty hands,
but with bodies returning to me,
seeking warmth in the deepest layers,
in the depths of a heart dug until it shatters,
leaving empty holes where my breath
slowly comes to a halt.
You promised,
children who love Mother,
loving this land with half-heartedness,
like the creaks of bones striking stone,
helpless, lifeless,
becoming whispers carried by the wind.
I do not wish to be remembered in silence; I want to be healed.
/4/
I am the crying land,
squirming in silence,
sifting for hope behind the mute night,
waiting for the day when my love is not just words,
but footsteps that tread once more
upon my cracked body.
And if tomorrow you forget,
my children who tear this love apart,
I will become a hidden ember,
waiting for the moment when this wound
will ignite, burning,
leaving ash from promises you once made.
Though you become lost and cause me pain, I am the earth, loving you until my shards come to an end.
Padang, West Sumatra, 2020
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This poem was initially penned by Leni Marlina as a hobby and personal collection in 2020. It has been revised and first published through digital media in 2024.
Leni Marlina is an active member of the Indonesian Writers Association, SATU PENA branch in West Sumatra. She is also a member of the International Poetry & Literature Community ACC in Shanghai and is entrusted as the Indonesian Poetry Ambassador for the ACC Shanghai Huifeng International Literary Association. Additionally, Leni is involved in the Victoria's Writers Association in Australia. Since 2006, she has dedicated herself as a lecturer in the English Language and Literature Study Program, Faculty of Languages and Arts, Universitas Negeri Padang.
Leni is also the founder and leader of several digital communities focusing on literature, education, and social issues, including the World Children's Literature Community (WCLC), the International Community POETRY-PEN, PPIPM (Pondok Puisi Inspirasi Masyarakat) Starcom Indonesia, and the Starmoonsun Edupreneur Community Indonesia.
