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

It's a Boy

“Uterine atony,” I hear the doctor say as the neonatologist is showing me my brand-new baby. I glance at my blood pressure before looking at my son. My husband didn’t hear. Maybe I should ask him to stay instead of going with the baby. Will they let him if I’m bleeding out? Oh, they’re taking a picture. I should smile. Baby Yousuf. I’m glad this is the last one, in case they have to take my uterus. “Jaan, I’m hemorrhaging,” I tell my husband. He doesn’t hear, too focused on Yousuf. I’ll be okay. He should go with the baby.

Zoya Cheema is a neonatologist who is getting back to her first love, writing short stories and microfiction.

Bobby's Tree

This Year