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Exit to Express
I made it through.
Or did I?
I work.
I function.
I respond in time.
People read this as recovery,
mistaking competence
for healing.
My persistence
is a deserted island
with nowhere to land.
They don’t see
how much energy it takes
to stay alert
in completed world.
The truth is—
it isn’t over.
Surviving didn’t end.
It simply
lost its exit
to express itself.
©2026 Samia Oldman
WHAT IS HUSH HALO?
Hush Halo is a dystopian fantasy poetry collection set in a near-future shaped by technology, silence, and optimized perfection. Each poem is paired with its own immersive soundscape. Learn more in Square One.
Context: After the Great Optimization, a privileged group integrated into the system, believing they had now perfected themselves.
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