Five Minutes explores five minutes of a life in one hundred words. Five minutes is edited by Susanna Baird, with editorial support from managing editor Maria s. picone, newsletter editor kate meen, and founding reader bobbi lerman, plus our rotating team of guest readers, who you can meet in the latest newsletteR. Five Minutes was founded in October 2020, with the Salem (Mass.)-based writing group Carrot Cake Writers supplying the journal’s first pieces. We’d love to read your five. Submit here

Another Shift

One moment I was doing stock and the next I locked myself in one of the bathrooms. I stared at my reflection in the slightly dirty mirror, water marks along the bottom of it. I gripped the sink tightly in a sad attempt to still my shaking hands. My vision blurred with tears. There was a single moment of silence before I finally broke, letting out soft sobs and shaky breaths. I spent a moment crying before cleaning up and going back to work. I don’t get paid to battle depression. It wouldn’t even be worth it if I did.

Rowan Moskowitz is a 23-year-old college graduate who has a deep love for writing, fighting every day to survive and make a meaningful life.

My Teddy Bear

Suburban Sins