At the Tongue’s Edge of the World
3 min read
At the Tongue’s Edge of the World
Poem by Leni Marlina
[PPIPM-Indonesia, PPIC, Indonesian Writer of Satu Pena West Sumatra, KEAI, West Sumatra Literacy Community, ASM, ACC SHILA, WPM-Indonesia]
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
at the tongue’s edge of the world—
words unravel, losing their roots
the sky forgets how to whisper blue
only dust remains,
gathering in the lungs of forgiveness
a child calls mother
with a voice never given breath,
and mother answers
with eyes:
a hollow dove’s nest in a bombed-out dusk
we are not the fallen—
we are syllables struck through
in the atlas of empires
in speeches lacquered with ceremony and amnesia
yet still, we write:
with bones that ache for their flesh
with coal from the final loaf
with blood too weary to stain red
we inscribe letters
onto the skin of night, slit by rockets—
not to God,
but to the last leaf
that dared to photosynthesize
O world,
you chew us without salt,
without prayer,
swallowing us as numbers on your graphs
but we—
we are poems wearing shadows,
etchings on crumbled walls
that detonate with memory’s breath
and even time dares not walk here,
fearing the child who still draws the sun
on skies riddled with holes
from promises carved in betrayal
if you are a poet,
come find us in the hush
abandoned by bells
in towns too brief to be named
for we are not gone,
we are the echo that chose to remain
on the lip of the earth—
a tongue you’ve never fully used
to say:
“I’m sorry.”
Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia, Juni 2025
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Leni Marlina – A Literary Voice from West Sumatra to the World
Leni Marlina is a writer, poet, and academic from West Sumatra, Indonesia. Deeply rooted in the worlds of literature and education, she has long been a dedicated advocate for literacy movements on local, national, and international stages.
Since 2022, she has been an active member of the Indonesian Writers Association (SATU PENA) – West Sumatra Chapter, under the leadership of Sastri Bakry (Chair) and Armaidi Tanjung (Secretary). With heartfelt gratitude and humility, Leni was honored as the Outstanding Writer of the Year 2025 by SATU PENA Sumbar during the Gala Dinner of the 3rd International Minangkabau Literacy Festival (IMLF-3), held at the Governor’s Auditorium in West Sumatra on May 9th, 2025.
Internationally, Leni is also a member of the ACC Shanghai Huifeng International Literary Association, led by Anna Keiko. Since 2024, she has served as Indonesia’s Poetry Ambassador for ACC SHILA and, in 2025, was appointed as the Chief Representative of Poetry in Asia for the ACC SHILA Ambassadorial Group—building poetic bridges of cultural diplomacy between Indonesia and the world.
That same year, she also joined the World Poetry Movement (WPM) – Indonesia, coordinated by Sastri Bakry, with WPM’s global headquarters based in Colombia.
Earlier, during her postgraduate studies in the Master of Writing and Literature program in Australia (2011–2013), Leni became a member of the Victorian Writers Association, deepening her engagement with global literary communities.
Since 2006, Leni has served as a lecturer at the Department of English Literature, Faculty of Languages and Arts, Universitas Negeri Padang, where she actively contributes to the university’s threefold mission: teaching, research, and community service. She mentors students in language, literature, creative writing, and academic composition.
Beyond the walls of academia, Leni also engages as a freelance journalist, columnist, editor, and digital media contributor. Her published works can be accessed by the public via this official link:
🔗 https://suaraanaknegerinews.com/category/puisi-leni-marlina-bagi-anak-bangsa/
Her passion for literacy and community development is reflected in several social and digital-based initiatives she founded and leads, including:
- World Children’s Literature Community (WCLC) – Visit WCLC
- Poetry-Pen International Community (PPIC)
- PPIPM-Indonesia (The Poetry Community of Indonesian Society’s Inspirations)
https://shorturl.at/2eTSB |
https://shorturl.at/tHjRI - Starcom Indonesia Community (Starmoonsun Edupreneur Community Indonesia) – Visit Starcom
- Linguistic Talk Community (Ling-TC)
- Literature Talk Community (Littalk-C)
- Translation Practice Community (Trans-PC)
- English Language Learning, Literacy, and Literary Community (EL4C)
Through her literary works, creative writings, and literacy-based social movements, Leni Marlina continues to ignite the flame of inspiration—from campus to community, from word to meaning, from local wisdom to the global stage—alongside her mentors, colleagues, fellow writers, and loyal readers from Indonesia and beyond
