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

First Boyfriend

My finger taps anxiously at the edge of my greasy screen as I anticipate his reply. I know it’s coming—it always does. To my right, my rambunctious little sis begins to chant softly as a willow. He loves you, he loves you not. Loves you, loves you not. While I sip sporadically at my soybean milk, Fido trots over and I idly pat his back, fingers running through scruffy fur. At 11:11, the ping arrives. See you tomorrow, heart emoji, he texts. I look at my sister, who just shrugs. We both know she landed on "he loves you."

Sienna Lew is a high school sophomore and poet from the Bay Area. She hopes to publish more of her work online soon! Instagram: @siennawrites and @siennalew_

Elephantween

Summit Night