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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The Label
Hush Halo · Poetry by Sam Oldman
Though they told me so,
their label didn’t save me.
It didn’t carry me to shore.It was never meant to.
It only kept me floating
long enough
to learn how to swim.You can try
to push and pry.But eventually,
I reach the shore.On my own,
cleared of your labels,
I find my terms intact,
buried in the sand,
right where I left them.
©2026 Sam Oldman
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Sam, this is beautifully concise and powerful. I love the distinction between something that keeps us afloat and something that actually teaches us how to swim.
Labels can sometimes help us understand where we are, but they should never become the boundaries of who we are. There is something deeply liberating about reaching the shore, leaving other people’s definitions behind, and discovering that your own terms were waiting for you all along.
“Cleared of your labels” says so much in so few words.
Beautiful work quiet, defiant, and ultimately empowering. 🖤
What matters is that you arrived—
safe and sound—
to find what was always yours.