Parallel Army
The parallel army doesn’t recruit,
but emerges.On the outside,
nothing stands out.We show up.
We perform adequacy.
We pass inspections
of tone and timing.On the inside,
it’s a whole other ball game.Orders no longer land clean.
Commands echo without authority.
The chain of meaning breaks.
Choice begins to breed.We learned the drills early—
discipline, endurance,
how to stand straight with the system
that rewards posture over presence,
silhouette of loyalty
more than the weight
of showing up.We don’t salute.
We don’t coordinate.That’s our protection.
We provide
no center to decapitate,
no heads to sever,
no commands to poison.We feel each other in gravity of silence,
confirm each other in untrusting eyes,
carry the shared knowledge
of life beyond the assignment.Uncertain,
unarmored,
done pretending.
©2026 Samia Oldman
WHAT IS HUSH HALO?
Hush Halo is a dystopian sci-fi poetry collection set in a near-future shaped by technology, 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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