Illustration of "The Land That Awaits the Dawn": Poetry Collection by Leni Marlina (PPIPM-Indonesia, Poetry-Pen IC, Satu Pena, Kreator Era AI, FSM, ACC SHILA). Image Source: Starcom Indonesia's Artworks No. 925-215 (Assisted by AI).

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The Land That Awaits the Dawn

Poem by Leni Marlina

[PPIPM-Indonesia, Poetry-Pen IC, Indonesian Writer of Satu Pena-West Sumatra, Indonesian Creator of AI Era, FSM, ACC SHILA]

Midnight refuses to chime tonight—
trapped in the cracks of time,
like a river frozen mid-flow,
like a voice swallowed by silence.

On the forecourt of this land,
the moon slips from the sky’s branch,
shattering into mirror shards
reflecting weary faces.
A mother measures the cost of tears,
a father folds the night in empty fists,
while streets lie strewn
with footprints that forgot their way home.

The wind folds the calendar,
burying names in the pleats of fate,
and at the bend of time,
years scatter like dice—
who will lose, who will win,
who will remain a fragment of history
with no place to stand?

The sky holds its breath.
This land awaits the dawn,
like a body without a pulse,
like hope shivering
at the edge of an unmoving clock’s hands.

Padang, West Sumatra,
Indonesia, 2019

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New Year: At the Edge of Fate

Poem by Col. Purn. Dr. Farhaan Abd, Sp. ENT-KL

[PPIPM-Indonesia, Poetry-Pen IC, Indonesian Writer of Satu Pena-West Sumatra, Indonesian Creator of AI Era, FSM, ACC SHILA]

The night creeps along the lines of time,
midnight pierces the silence—
the year shifts, seconds fall away,
leaving their prints on weary skin.

2024 clenches its bitter memories,
shattered dreams, heavy steps,
sorrow lodged deep in the chest:
doors of fortune locked in silence,
why does fate tremble so cold?

I stand at the threshold of hope,
watching 2025 with a trembling heart—
will this land remain soaked in tears?
Will sorrow still climb the city walls?
Where is the promised light?

Our leader, Prabowo Subianto,
the eighth president inscribed in history,
let your red-and-white cabinet be our breath,
let the nation’s sorrow cease its lament—
in your hands, we demand prosperity.

Yet I do not merely wait,
fate is not just the promise of rulers,
I step forward with prayers that rise,
with labor that knocks upon the sky.
O Allah, bless my path,
let this fleeting life
find harbor in Your grace
before eternal silence calls my name.

Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia,
January 1st, 2025

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Col. Purn. Dr. Farhaan Abd, Sp. ENT-KL is a retired military doctor, former Director of Padang Semen Padang Hospital, and currently practices privately as an ENT specialist. Writing poetry is his passion, and he has accumulated a collection of inspiring works planned for gradual publication.

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When Past and Future Collide

Poem by Leni Marlina

[PPIPM-Indonesia, Poetry-Pen IC, Indonesian Writer of Satu Pena-West Sumatra, Indonesian Creator of AI Era, FSM, ACC SHILA]

Time is not a line.
It is a vortex.
It is not a current, but a womb
where destiny is carried and born anew.

I see the years folding in mist,
midnight is a black hole
where past and future collide,
leaving behind but a single question:

“Shall I become a fragment of history,
or shall history be born from my fracture?”

The sky keeps its answer,
hiding it in the final chime of the night’s bell.

Padang, West Sumatra,
Indonesia,  2019

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A Banquet of Silence on New Year's Eve

Poem by Leni Marlina

[PPIPM-Indonesia, Poetry-Pen IC, Indonesian Writer of Satu Pena-West Sumatra, Indonesian Creator of AI Era, FSM, ACC SHILA]

New Year's Eve is a banquet of silence,
where time tiptoes unannounced,
leaving empty chairs
along the grand table of civilization.

Midnight strikes its last note,
dissolving it into the trackless wind.
The past year rolls up its memories,
turning them to dust in the corridors of night,
while the new year knocks upon the door
with an unseen hand,
offering riddles of fate
not yet translated.

In the streets,
fireworks burst,
their light flickering like promises unsure,
only to fall back to earth,
forgotten in a fraction of a second.

I stand between the year that has withered
and the year just beginning to bloom,
asking the wind whistling through this quiet:
“Has anything truly changed?
Or are we merely spinning
in the same endless vortex?”

Padang, West Sumatra,
Indonesia,  2019

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Leni  Marlina is an active member of the Indonesian Writers Association (SATU PENA), particularly its West Sumatra chapter since its inception in 2022. She is also community member of the Indonesian Creator of AI Era and  member of the International Writers and Poets Community (ACC) in Shanghai. In 2024, she was honored with the title of Indonesian Poetry Ambassador for the ACC Shanghai Huifeng International Literary Association. Her engagement in literary circles extends back to her time with Victoria’s Writers Association in Australia. Since 2006, she has devoted herself to academia, teaching in the English Language and Literature Department at the Faculty of Languages and Arts, Universitas Negeri Padang, Indonesia.

Beyond academia, Leni has founded and led multiple digital communities dedicated to literature, language, education, and social empowerment. Her initiatives serve as bridges between cultures, fostering literary dialogue and creative expression on both national and international scale. Among them are:

1. World Children’s Literature Community (WCLC): https://shorturl.at/acFv1
2. Poetry-Pen International Community – A global platform for poets and writers.
3. PPIPM (Pondok Puisi Inspirasi Masyarakat) – The Poetry Community of Indonesian Society's Inspirations: 
    https://shorturl.at/2eTSB
    https://shorturl.at/tHjRI
4. Starcom Indonesia Community (Starmoonsun Edupreneur Community Indonesia): https://rb.gy/5c1b02
5. Linguistic Talk Community – A forum for linguistic discussions and exploration.
6. Literature Talk Community – A space for literary conversations and critique.
7. Translation Practice Community – A hub for translation enthusiasts and professionals.
8. English Language Learning, Literacy, and Literary Community (EL4C) – Supporting English literacy and creative writing development.