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

Don't Love You

“Mommy, I don’t love you.” My two-year-old stands in the bathtub, smudging foam onto her belly. I hold the shower head, and soapy rivulettes stream into the whirlpool of the drain. “That’s okay. I still love you,” I say. “And I don’t!” She stomps her foot. Water splashes onto the tiles. I wrap her in a towel. “You don’t have to. The important thing is that I love you and I always will.” “And I don’t.” She presses her cheek to mine as I pick her up. Aligned, our hearts beat in harmony, a rhythm that speaks louder than words.

A. Zaykova is a New Zealand-based writer, PR professional, global nomad, and mother of one dragon. Visit her at www.azaykova.com or on Instagram @azaykovawriter.

First Love

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