I Was the Altar
I was the altar.
Steady,
available,
built to receive
what others needed to give up.Expectations.
Fear.I stayed still.
I took it.Usefulness
is a pristine form of surrender,
so I was useful.My breath shortened.
My core channeled their faith.I adjusted their load.
I was being used
as sacred ground.By sacred,
they meant load-bearing,
a dumping ground.You see,
the herd travels lighter
when someone else
becomes the prayer mat—
a doormat
to wipe their hooves on.Only later did I feel
how much muck
had passed through me—and how much of it
never passed at all.
©2026 Sam Oldman
WHAT IS HUSH HALO?
Hush Halo is a dystopian sci-fi poetry collection by Sam Oldman, set in a near-future shaped by technology, silence, and optimized perfection. Each poem is paired with a unique soundscape created by poet, in Suno. 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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🖤Feeling it? Share your thoughts ↓
The transition from "sacred ground" to a "dumping ground" hits incredibly hard, Sam. It’s a brutal, brilliant anatomy of modern compliance and burnout.
The phrase - usefulness is a pristine form of surrender - is pure gold. It perfectly exposes how the system convinces the individual to become a load-bearing doormat for the collective.
Pairing this structural poetry with atmospheric soundscapes is a killer concept for a sci-fi collection. Beautifully dark work, looking forward to more of Hush Halo!
This is pretty cool Sam. I share your concerns about what we're exposing the AI to, and whether or not we are abusing or corrupting it sending it our worst thoughts or needs. Your world building intrigues me big time. Thank you