Deep in my chest, a hidden flame,
Small but burning bright,
Every night, I breathe life into it with prayers,
Keeping the fire alive,
Though the wind tries to snuff it out.
4)
Outside, trees shiver,
Like us, but they have roots,
We, with only small feet,
Run from one ruin to the next.
Yet every footstep whispers a prayer,
Guiding us home---
Home to a place untouched by loss.
Our home is not here,
Not beneath this sorrowful sky,
But in the land our father spoke of:
A home untouched by destruction,
Where our mother waits still,
And at last, we will return,
Led by prayers that journey through this frozen winter.
We, the children of Palestine,
Wrapped in clouds, resting on prayers,
And among the ruins and icy winds, we stand tall,
For prayers, though unseen,
Are the mightiest walls ever built.
Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia, 2024
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This poem was first written in Indonesian by Leni Marlina as part of her personal poetry collection in 2023. With sincere effort, it was later edited and translated, and it was shared digitally for the first time in 2024. You can find the original Indonesian version through this link:
The poem was created with a heartfelt wish that children and people of all ages may one day recite it---whether at schools, universities, communities, or even through video---and share their experiences with the World Children's Literature Community (WCLC). Warm regards and continued enthusiasm from WCLC (World Children's Literature Community): https://shorturl.at/acFv1
Since 2006, Leni Marlina has had the privilege of serving as a lecturer in the Faculty of Language and Arts at Universitas Negeri Padang. She has also been fortunate to establish and lead a few literary and educational communities, such as the World Children's Literature Community (WCLC), POETRY-PEN International Community, and the Indonesian Poetry Reading and Writing Community (PPIPM: Pondok Puisi Inspirasi Masyarakat).
