“By Design,” Poem, Matthew D Albertson.

If history is taught

seamless, natural,

the resultant of fate,

so canonized,

editorialized,

and idolized

then our struggles

seem less, naturally,

the quotient of fate,

so ostracized,

hypo-oxygenized,

and sanitized.

Matthew D Albertson is a writer from Tigard, Oregon. After losing his job during the pandemic, he went back to school for a BS in political science. He originally took creative writing as a filler class. By the end of that term, he had submitted his first piece, "Whiling by Lake Harold," to be published in Sincere Dalliances: Issue #1. This led, in turn, to working as a managing editor for PCC Sylvania's Alchemy. Since then, his work has appeared in Alchemy: Issue 50, Gypsophila: Volume 3, Issue 5, and The Cardinal Anthology: Vol 2. His work has existential themes, sometimes with a satirical bent, covering topics from environmental concerns, the passage of time, the digital age, and our place in the body politic. Throughout the sincere dalliance of writing, his main focus has been on the chaotic field of political science. He plans to attend law school in the coming year.