My Botanical Dilemma for a Dystopian Paradise
POLL: Which flower belongs on the a poetry book's cover?
Paradise Beyond Pulse needs a face. A single symbol that sets the tone before a word is read.
My self published poetry book will be published in January 2026. It’s the first book of the Hush Halo world.
Which flower should hold the cover? (poll below)
Need some context?
About the Book: Paradise Beyond Pulse
The collection unfolds in the aftermath of the Systoics’ transformation. Consciousness has been refined into function, emotion translated into efficiency.
Every need is met before it is felt. Peace is engineered. Safety perfected. There is no hunger, no hesitation, no interruption. Life is smooth, safe, and quietly hollow.
The cover flower needs to carry this world.
About the Illustrations
The back story of the Hush Halo begins cold and controlled. I wanted to move the visuals toward softness and femininity to create tension. I feel this tension sits at the very core of Paradise Beyond Pulse.
This is dystopian, but not a space adventure. It’s more of a journey inward.
The flowers belonging to this world are made in this world. They grow through technology rather than soil, built from light, wires, screws, and holograms. They appear organic while remaining synthetic.
About the Flowers
Both options belong to this world.
White Calla Lily (left)
Cold white. Sterile elegance. Perfection without warmth.
Often associated with modern minimalism, controlled power, and dystopian visual language.
Silver Lotus (right)
Metallic silver. A future-corrupted symbol.
Enlightenment without spirituality. Purity achieved through systems, not soul.
New to my dystopian poetry?
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All works are created and copyrighted by Samia Oldman.
I like the flower on the left best because it is NOT uniform or symmetrical. It begs to grow outside the usual shape.
I would vote for lotus. For me, symbolically, it has the power to hold the world. If is more recognisable overall, a little mystic (brownie points from more random readers). The calia reminds me of funerals; it could work in a specific context.