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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