When the Children of Palestine Lose Their Teachers and Parents

We miss your footsteps on the narrow streets of our Palestinian village,
That you once walked with a smile and wisdom,
Now those streets are adorned with silence,
But your footprints live on in our bravery.

You taught us to be patient and to fight,
To seek knowledge amidst the raging storm,
Now, without your guidance, we ask,
How to step over the sharp debris,
With stronger resolve, we shall move forward.

In every ruin, in every scattered dust,
We know your trace will always be there,
Flowing in the once calm rivers of Palestine,
Burning in our hearts that always yearn.

Without our parents and beloved teacher,
We shall continue to fight for our future,
With an undying spirit,
We promise to keep moving, for dreams that shall never fade,
While "peace," so revered, waits in the distance, like a distant shadow on the eastern horizon of Palestine.

Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia, 2024

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This poem was originally published in Leni Marlina's poetry collection in 2023, and revised and republished for the first time through digital media in 2024.

Since 2006, the writer has served as a lecturer at the Faculty of Languages and Arts, Universitas Negeri Padang. She has also been the founder and head of the World Children's Literature Community (WCLC) since 2018. Additionally, she has been an active member of the West Sumatra Writers Association since 2022; involved with the Victoria Writers Association - Australia since 2012;  Hongkong ACC International Writers Community since 2024.