We were Born in the Land of Palestine

We Were Born from the Land of Palestine
By Leni Marlina

We were born from the land of Palestine,
from soil that remembers the footsteps of our ancestors,
from olive trees towering beneath grey skies,
their roots plunging deeper than the looming walls,
listening to the unspoken whispers of sorrow.

Our small hands, etched with scars,
trace the cracked lines of broken homes,
where laughter once danced in the courtyards,
now silenced, only shadows remain,
trapped between rubble and dust.

We, the wounded children,
scarred by stories etched into our skin,
the marks of battles we never chose,
of the blasts that tore through the night.

We piece together our future from fragments of hope,
weaving dreams in the stillness of twilight,
each shard is a memory we cling to,
each memory is a seed
planted in the wounds of streets marked by pain.

We are the guardians of stories,
our voices as soft as the evening breeze,
whispering to the lonely moon,
as dew gently falls upon barren land,
becoming the thread that ties us
to a past we will never forget.

We do not ask for permission to dream.
Our dreams bloom like wildflowers,
pushing through the ruins,
reaching for a sun with no boundaries,
even as cruelty's shadow creeps among us.

We will not give up.
We are trees growing amidst the storm,
our roots digging deep into darkness,
our voices the cries of resistance,
carrying the names of those lost
and prayers for a brighter dawn.

In the land of al-Quds, we are the morning dew,
refreshing hope among the ruins,
children with eyes that shine like stars,
though our bodies are scarred and broken,
we hold dreams that will never dim,
for we are the flames that burn through the night,
the bearers of hope that endures,
even though the world still remains silent
towards those who are cruel.

Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia, 2024

---

This poem was originally part of a personal collection by Leni Marlina in 2023 and later revised and published through digital platforms in 2024.

The Indonesian version of this poem is available on:

*Kami Dilahirkan di Bumi Palestina* https://www.kompasiana.com/lenimarlina_fbsunppadang6936/66ed9afbed64151351407c93/kami-dilahirkan-di-bumi-palestina?utm_source=Whatsapp&utm_medium=Refferal&utm_campaign=Sharing_Mobile

Since 2006, the writer has served as a lecturer at the Faculty of Language and Arts, Universitas Negeri Padang. She is also the founder and head of the World Children's Literature Community (WCLC) and POETRY-PEN International Community. Additionally, she is an active member of the One Pena Writer's Association of West Sumatra, as well as being involved with the Victoria Writers Association in Australia and the Hong Kong ACC International Writers Community.