HUSH HALO is a dystopian sci-fi poetry collection set in a near-future, shaped by technology and irreversible choice. Each poem is paired with a unique soundscape in both digital format and in printed books.
CONTEXT: After the Great Optimization we all had a choice. This poem below tells a story of Systoics, a privileged group that integrated into the system, believing they had now perfected themselves.
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Innocence Gone
Hush Halo · Poetry by Sam Oldman
Standing upright,
I feel the floor beneath me tilt.How do I move here
without collapsing
everything
I rely on?Clarity arrived late,
burning through my core
hotter than guilt.A forced,
or maybe an unforced choice
reminding me exactly
where to stand,
and why nothing
feels solid.Comfort holds me still
better than fear
ever could.Innocence gone.
Being on the wrong side
feels less like danger
and more like
permission.
©2026 Sam Oldman
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What stayed with me is the idea that comfort can hold us in place more effectively than fear. The poem makes that realization feel physical, as if the ground itself shifts once clarity arrives. The final lines leave a disturbing sense that crossing a moral boundary can become easier when it starts to feel permitted.