Sanctified Surface
I was certified,
sanctified,
sanitized.I never asked
what it cost
to be the place
where everyone leaves.I never stepped away.
I mistook endurance
for devotion.Staying still
began to look a lot like faith.I believed
something good would arrive
if I held long enough.Patience is the sacrament of the used.
They lit their circuits,
wiped their hands
and simply moved on.Preposterous prayers
left their fingerprints on me
before the system wiped my surface clean again.No redemption registered.
No gods answered.Holiness, it turns out,
is just cleanliness
with witnesses.
©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.
POETRY · START HERE · BUY BOOKS · SHOP · LINKS
Hush Halo is an indie art project.
To follow and support my work, consider
becoming a free or paid subscriber.
🖤Feeling it? Share your thoughts ↓
Wow. Wow. Wow Sam!
Loved this so much. The brevity and compression in the lines makes it so visceral and clear in the mind.
The voice over on the track is absolutely perfect too. Husky, female dystopia, part digital part human, took me into a sci-fi world in my mind.
Awesome!
My new favorite. Thank you.