The Road that Remembers You

Poem by Leni Marlina

–

One afternoon
you walked without a clear destination.
Your steps were slow
like someone learning
to listen to their own soul.

The road was quiet.
Yet secretly
it recognized you.
The dust beneath your feet
kept stories
about other humans
who had nearly surrendered
in the very same place.

The sky watched you for a long time.
Not to judge
but to make sure
that you were still brave enough
to continue the journey.
You might not realize it,
but your steps
are changing something
within the world.

For there are moments
when the earth does not move because of time
but because someone
decides
to keep walking.

–

PPIPM-Indonesia, PPIC, Padang – West Sumatra, 2022

—

/2/

Keep Walking

Poem by Leni Marlina

–

You walk.
Not always steady, not always certain.
Sometimes the road feels long
like a question
that never seems to end.

Yet the map never shows this:
that direction
often appears
after the first step.
Not before it.

You may feel small
beneath the vast sky.
But the horizon knows something
you have not yet realized:
that a human being
who keeps walking
even while afraid
is a human being
who slowly
changes the limits of the world.

–

PPIPM-Indonesia, PPIC, Padang – West Sumatra, 2022

—

/3/

When the Horizon Draws Near

Poem by Leni Marlina

–

One day you asked the horizon:
why do you always move farther away
each time I come closer?

The horizon did not answer.
It remained silent
like an old teacher
who allows the student
to learn alone.

You kept walking.
Day turned into evening,
evening into night,
and night into a new morning.

Only then did you understand something.
The horizon never truly moves away.
It only creates distance
so that you will have a reason
to keep stepping forward.

And in the end
you realize:
what truly changed
was not the sky,
but yourself
who now can walk
farther
than your own fears.

–

PPIPM-Indonesia, PPIC, Padang – West Sumatra, 2022

—

/4/

Keep Walking, Never Surrender

Poem by Leni Marlina

–

That day, morning was not born gently;
it shattered like glass light thrown from the sky upon the face of the earth.

You stood among the fragments.
Light smelled of warm metal, like blood learning to become courage,
while the air tasted salty on your tongue as if this land still held the tears of humans who once fell upon it.
The wind bent toward your ear and whispered slowly: keep walking!

The dust of the road chewed your steps,
grains of sand counting how far your courage had walked in this journey.
The dew looked at you with transparent eyes,
trembling softly like the heart of the earth quietly pumping hope into the roots of life.

In the east the sun opened a door of fire,
long light breaking the bones of night one by one.
Silence touched your face,
cold like the hand of history searching for a new name to write.
And you asked the horizon where the steps of a fighter should go.
The horizon did not answer;
it only laughed without sound and slowly grew a road beneath your feet.

Look at your footprints on the sand of the road you have passed;
they are like secret letters rewriting the meaning of courage.

Look at your sweat falling and the earth drinking it as if thirsty for human stories,
your tears falling and the distant sea remembering the origin of its salt.

Now the sun stands high as witness,
while time runs past you
with burning breath and hands full of clocks.

Yet you keep walking,
for your heartbeat pulses with the pulse of the earth.
Your steps push the horizon a little farther back.

And at the end of your journey
you see the horizon never truly moved away,
it seems to come closer
so that you will keep walking
far enough,
until one day you realize
that the true direction
is not always ahead of your steps,
but within the wounds and hopes you carry
without surrender.

–
PPIPM-Indonesia, PPIC, Padang – West Sumatra, 2022

—

/5/

Where Your Steps Pause

Poem by Leni Marlina

–

One day
you stop walking.
Not because of exhaustion,
not because of fear.
Only because at last
you want to listen
to what has quietly
been growing inside you.

The wind passes slowly.
The dust of the road
that you once stepped on
now rests
around your feet.

The sky remains vast.
Yet you no longer feel small beneath it.
For you have understood
something rarely realized:
that a journey
is not always about how far you walk,
but about
who you become
after all those steps.

And there,
where your steps pause for a moment,
you finally know:
that the greatest courage
is not merely to keep walking,
but to remain human
without losing humanity and hope,
even when the world
tries again and again
to drown them.

–

PPIPM-Indonesia, PPIC, Padang – West Sumatra, 2022

—-

About the Poet – Leni Marlina

Leni Marlina is an Indonesian poet, writer, translator, and lecturer in the Department of English, Faculty of Languages and Arts, at Universitas Negeri Padang, where she has served as a civil servant lecturer since 2006. Her creative and academic works move across poetry, fiction, essays, literary criticism, translation, and literacy studies, reflecting her enduring commitment to language as a medium of reflection, empathy, and human dignity.

Among her recent publications are the poetry collections “The Beloved Teachers” (2025) and “L-BEAUMANITY: Love, Beauty, and Humanity (2025)”, as well as the educational trilogy English Stories for Literacy (2024–2025). Through these works, she explores the intersection of literature, education, and humanity, presenting writing as both a creative practice and a moral dialogue with the world.

Beyond poetry, Leni actively writes short stories, essays, literary criticism, and reviews. She also translates literary and journalistic texts for various national and international digital platforms. Her writings frequently engage with themes of education, culture, literacy, peace, and humanitarian values, positioning literature as a bridge between knowledge, imagination, and social awareness.

Alongside her academic career, Leni is actively involved in literary journalism and literacy advocacy. She contributes as a freelance writer and editor to digital media platforms such as Suara Anak Negeri News and Negeri News, where she publishes articles on education, literature, culture, and humanitarian issues. Both platforms share a common mission: “giving voice to those who cannot speak.”

Leni is also the founder and chairperson of several literary and literacy communities, including the PPIPM-Indonesia, Poetry Pen International Community (PPIC), Littalk-C (Literary Talk Community), Translation Practice Community (Trans-PC), and the World Children’s Literature Community (WCLC). Through these communities, she promotes international literary dialogue, translation practice, and literacy development.

In addition, she is an active member of several writers’ organizations, including SatuPena West Sumatra, KEAI, and PLS. Since 2012, she has also been affiliated with the Victorian Writers Centre in Australia. In 2024, she became a member of the Shanghai Huifeng International Literary Association (ACC SHILA), further expanding her engagement with international literary networks.

Her contributions to literature have received recognition both nationally and internationally. In 2025, she received the Best Writer Award from SatuPena West Sumatra during the International Minangkabau Literary Festival (IMLF-3), chaired by Sastri Bakry. In the same year, she was honored with the ACC International Literary Prize 2025 from the ACC Shanghai Huiyu International Literary Creative Media Centre and received recognition from the international literary community The Rhythm of Vietnam.

Through her writing, teaching, and literary activism, Leni Marlina continues to cultivate spaces where literature, education, and humanity meet, encouraging dialogue, nurturing creativity, and strengthening the culture of literacy across communities and borders.

—-

Kumpulan Puisi Bilingual Leni Marlina “Pantang Menyerah dan Jalam yang Mengingatmu”

/1/

Jalan yang Mulai Mengingatmu

Puisi: Leni Marlina

–

Suatu sore
kau berjalan tanpa tujuan yang jelas.
Langkahmu pelan
seperti seseorang yang sedang belajar
mendengar dirinya sendiri.

Jalan itu sunyi.
Namun diam-diam
ia mengenalimu.
Debu yang kau injak
menyimpan cerita
tentang manusia-manusia lain
yang pernah hampir menyerah
di tempat yang sama.

Langit menatapmu lama.
Tidak untuk menilai
tetapi untuk memastikan
bahwa kau masih berani
melanjutkan perjalanan.
Kau mungkin tidak menyadarinya,
tetapi langkahmu
sedang mengubah sesuatu
di dalam dunia.

Sebab ada saat-saat tertentu
ketika bumi tidak bergerak karena waktu
melainkan karena seseorang
memutuskan
untuk tetap berjalan.

–

PPIPM-Indonesia, PPIC, Padang – Sumbar, 2022

—

/2/

Terus Berjalan

Puisi: Leni Marlina

–

Kau berjalan.
Tak selalu sigap tak selalu yakin.
Kadang jalan terasa panjang
seperti pertanyaan
yang tak kunjung habis.
Namun peta tak pernah menunjukkan hal ini:
bahwa arah
sering kali lahir
setelah langkah pertama.
Bukan sebelumnya.

Kau mungkin merasa kecil
di bawah langit yang luas.
Tetapi cakrawala tahu sesuatu
yang belum kau sadari:
bahwa manusia
yang terus berjalan
meski takut
adalah manusia
yang perlahan-lahan
mengubah batas dunia.

–

PPIPM-Indonesia, PPIC, Padang – Sumbar, 2022

—

/3/

Ketika Cakrawala Mendekat

Puisi: Leni Marlina

–

Suatu hari kau bertanya pada cakrawala:
mengapa kau selalu menjauh
setiap kali aku mendekat?
Cakrawala tidak menjawab.
Ia hanya diam
seperti guru tua
yang membiarkan muridnya
belajar sendiri.

Kau terus berjalan.
Hari berubah menjadi senja,
senja menjadi malam,
dan malam menjadi pagi yang baru.

Barulah kau mengerti sesuatu.
Cakrawala tidak pernah benar-benar menjauh.
Ia hanya memberi jarak
agar kau memiliki alasan
untuk terus melangkah.
Dan pada akhirnya
kau menyadari:
yang sebenarnya berubah
bukanlah langit,
melainkan dirimu
yang kini mampu berjalan
lebih jauh
daripada ketakutanmu sendiri.

–

PPIPM-Indonesia, PPIC, Padang – Sumbar, 2022

—

/4/

Terus Berjalan, Pantang Menyerah

Puisi: Leni Marlina

–

Hari itu, pagi tak lahir dengan tenang;
ia pecah seperti kaca cahaya dilemparkan langit ke wajah bumi.

Kau berdiri di antara pecahan itu.
Cahaya berbau logam hangat, seperti darah baru belajar menjadi keberanian,
sementara udara terasa asin di lidahmu seakan tanah ini masih menyimpan air mata manusia yang pernah jatuh di atasnya.
Angin datang membungkuk ke telingamu dan berbisik perlahan: berjalanlah !

Debu jalan mengunyah langkahmu,
butiran pasir menghitung berapa panjang langkah keberanianmu di tengah perjalanan ini.
Embun memandangmu dengan mata transparan,
ia bergetar kecil seperti jantung bumi diam-diam memompa harapan ke dalam akar kehidupan.

Di timur matahari membuka pintu api,
cahaya panjang mematahkan tulang malam satu demi satu.
Kesunyian menyentuh wajahmu,
dingin seperti tangan sejarah mencari nama baru untuk ditulis.
Dan kau bertanya pada cakrawala ke mana langkah seorang pejuang harus menuju.
Cakrawala tak menjawab;
ia hanya tertawa tanpa suara dan menumbuhkan jalan perlahan di bawah kakimu.

Lihatlah jejakmu di pasir jalanan yang kau lewati;
ia seperti huruf-huruf rahasia menulis ulang arti keberanian.

Lihatlah keringatmu bercucuran dan tanah meminumnya seolah haus pada kisah manusia,
air matamu jatuh dan laut yang jauh seakan mengingat kembali asal rasa asinnya.

Kini matahari berdiri tinggi menjadi saksi,
sementara waktu berlari melewatimu
dengan napas panas dan tangan penuh jam.

Namun kau tetap berjalan,
sebab detak jantungmu berdenyut dengan detak bumi.
Langkahmu mendorong cakrawala mundur sedikit lagi.

Dan di ujung perjalananmu
kau lihat cakrawala tak pernah menjauh,
Ia seolah semakin mendekat
agar kau terus berjalan
cukup jauh,
sampai suatu hari kau sadar
bahwa arah sebenarnya
tak selalu berada di depan langkahmu,
melainkan di dalam luka dan harapan yang kau bawa terus
tanpa menyerah.

–

PPIPM-Indonesia, PPIC, Padang – Sumbar, 2022

—

/5/

Di Tempat Langkahmu Berhenti

Puisi: Leni Marlina

—

Suatu hari
kau berhenti berjalan.
Bukan karena lelah,
bukan karena takut.
Hanya karena akhirnya
kau ingin mendengarkan
apa yang selama ini
diam-diam tumbuh
di dalam dirimu.

Angin lewat perlahan.
Debu jalan
yang dulu selalu kau injak
kini beristirahat
di sekeliling kakimu.

Langit tetap luas.
Namun kau tidak merasa kecil di bawahnya.
Sebab kau telah mengerti
sesuatu yang jarang dipahami:
bahwa perjalanan
tidak selalu tentang seberapa jauh kau melangkah,
tetapi tentang
siapa dirimu
setelah semua langkah itu.

Dan di sana,
di tempat langkahmu berhenti sejenak,
kau akhirnya tahu:
bahwa keberanian terbesar
bukanlah terus berjalan ,
melainkan tetap menjadi manusia
yang tidak kehilangan kemanusiaan dan harapan,
meski dunia berkali-kali
mencoba menenggelamkannya.

–

PPIPM-Indonesia, PPIC, Padang – Sumbar, 2022

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

——

Tentang Penyair – Leni Marlina

Leni Marlina merupakan seorang penyair, penulis, penerjemah, dan akademisi di Departemen Bahasa Inggris, Fakultas Bahasa dan Seni, Universitas Negeri Padang, tempat ia mengabdi sebagai dosen pegawai negeri sipil sejak tahun 2006. Karya-karya kreatif dan akademiknya bergerak melintasi berbagai bidang, seperti puisi, fiksi, esai, kritik sastra, penerjemahan, dan kajian literasi, yang mencerminkan komitmennya yang berkelanjutan terhadap bahasa sebagai medium refleksi, empati, dan martabat kemanusiaan.

Di antara publikasi terbarunya adalah kumpulan puisi The Beloved Teachers (2025) dan L-BEAUMANITY: Love, Beauty, and Humanity (2025), serta trilogi pendidikan English Stories for Literacy (2024–2025). Melalui karya-karya ini, ia mengeksplorasi pertemuan antara sastra, pendidikan, dan kemanusiaan, dengan memandang tulisan sebagai praktik kreatif sekaligus dialog moral dengan dunia.

Selain menulis puisi, Leni juga aktif menulis cerita pendek, esai, kritik sastra, dan ulasan. Ia juga menerjemahkan teks sastra dan jurnalistik untuk berbagai platform digital nasional dan internasional. Tulisan-tulisannya sering mengangkat tema pendidikan, budaya, literasi, perdamaian, dan nilai-nilai kemanusiaan, sehingga menempatkan sastra sebagai jembatan antara pengetahuan, imajinasi, dan kesadaran sosial.

Di samping karier akademiknya, Leni juga aktif dalam jurnalisme sastra dan advokasi literasi. Ia berkontribusi sebagai penulis dan editor lepas di platform media digital seperti Suara Anak Negeri News dan Negeri News, tempat ia menerbitkan artikel tentang pendidikan, sastra, budaya, dan isu-isu kemanusiaan. Kedua platform tersebut memiliki misi yang sama, yaitu “memberi suara bagi mereka yang tidak dapat bersuara.”

Leni juga merupakan pendiri dan ketua dari beberapa komunitas sastra dan literasi, di antaranya PPIPM-Indonesia, Poetry Pen International Community (PPIC), Littalk-C Literary Talk Community, Translation Practice Community (Trans-PC), serta World Children’s Literature Community (WCLC). Melalui komunitas-komunitas ini, ia mendorong dialog sastra internasional, praktik penerjemahan, serta pengembangan literasi lintas budaya.

Selain itu, ia juga merupakan anggota aktif di beberapa organisasi kepenulisan, termasuk SatuPena Sumatera Barat, KEAI, dan PLS. Sejak tahun 2012, ia juga berafiliasi dengan Victorian Writers Centre di Australia & sejak tahun 2024 juga berrgabung sebagai anggota Shanghai Huifeng International Literarty Association (ACC SHILA).

Kontribusinya dalam dunia sastra telah memperoleh berbagai pengakuan, baik di tingkat nasional maupun internasional. Pada tahun 2025, ia menerima Best Writer Award dari SatuPena Sumatera Barat dalam acara International Minangkabau Literary Festival (IMLF-3) yang diketuai oleh Sastri Bakry. Pada tahun yang sama, ia juga dianugerahi ACC International Literary Prize 2025 dari ACC Shanghai Huiyu International Literary Creative Media Centre serta menerima penghargaan dari komunitas sastra internasional The Rhythm of Vietnam.

Melalui karya tulis, pengajaran, dan aktivisme sastranya, Leni Marlina terus menumbuhkan ruang-ruang pertemuan antara sastra, pendidikan, dan kemanusiaan—mendorong dialog, memelihara kreativitas, serta memperkuat budaya literasi di berbagai komunitas dan lintas batas dunia.