The Child of the Sea

*The Child of the Sea*
A Poem by Leni Marlina

1)
I am a child of the sea, born from ceaseless surge,
waves carve paths beyond what is seen,
uncertainty is not a foe, but a song to emerge,
with each swell, I find life's heartbeat keen.

Let storms gather, darken the sky's bound,
I stand firm on the reefs of hope's shore,
like the deep trench, holding secrets profound,
absorbing the world's din, unshaken at its core.

2)
The waves always return, faithful to the sand,
as my love embraces memories' coastlines,
untouched by seasons, unmarked by land,
my longing ripples to meet horizons undefined.

The sea has taught me the art of release,
like foam that dissolves into the night's air,
yet my love anchors in the deepest peace,
spinning tales and traces in the blue's lair.

And though surges bite at the horizon's crest,
shaking fragile hopes at twilight's close,
I know this land remains my eternal rest,
where every crash holds dreams in ocean's prose.

3)
This sea is the home I endlessly call,
beneath the sky's arch, where my love aligns,
my love is a current that knows no stall,
greeting my nation's shores with untiring lines.

Here I stand, a rock amidst time's eddies,
diving through histories whispered in every stream,
and as dusk folds the horizon's edges steady,
I say once more, with breath that gleams:
"My land, I am your child of the sea,
who has never, and will never, leave thee."

Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia, 2020

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This poem was first written in Indonesian by Leni Marlina as part of her personal poetry collection in 2020. 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 on:
https://keai-sulawesi.kim.id/berita/read/nyanyian-anak-laut-untuk-negeri18502-720120100701/0
 
The poem was created with a heartfelt wish that children and people of all ages may one day recite it through video---and share their experiences with the writer and 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).

Additionally, she has been entrusted with running a digital-based social community, Starcom Indonesia (Starmoonsun Edupreneur Community Indonesia). Leni Marlina remains grateful to be a member of the Indonesian Writers Association SATU PENA West Sumatra and to collaborate internationally with the Victoria Writers Association in Australia and the ACC International Writers Community in Hong Kong.