Mental Note Literary Magazine
Artist: Evan Vallante, Class of 2027
The Perfectionist
by Leena Esquilin, Class of 2027
Yearning for something that's unreachable,
But desire is something unteachable.
The want for perfection is like a flame-
It's big, bold, strong, and unable to tame.
Striving for something more than life itself,
The cruel feeling makes me hard on myself.
Everything must be perfect because my mind,
Inside, the perfectionist in me, whined.
Artist: Sophia Haberman, Class of 2026
Free Sky
by Anya Fawcett, Class of 2028
Chasing the sky,
Around the world you go.
Climbing every deep valley,
![poem]()
Faster on every slope.
It feels like freedom.
Chains unlocked,
Arms open to reach the blue world above
Something you can reach for but never quite grasp.
But when you can....
Clouds surround your way,
Every side, every turn.
It seems like a blur,![]()
A flash of blue and white
The mysteries they unlock
Dozens at a time.
Flowing through my mind
Like the loudest river,
Or the fiercest ocean.
It feels like being free.
From the chains that weigh and pull
Then gravity takes over.
In the endless black sky
And.
I.
Am.
Free.