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

Metro Line 13

Crowded shoulder to shoulder with others jostling for prime territory on Line 13 of the Paris Metro, I felt fingers groping in the most intimate of places. I froze. Peeking down, I confirmed the presence of a left hand between my legs. The man attached, innocently reading a book held in his right hand, swayed against me in the crush. My face flushed, I looked around in a panic. I met the direct gaze of a steely-eyed woman who nodded at me slowly. The metro slowed to a stop at Miromesnil. Together, we shoved that man hard off the train.

Christi Byerly trains spiritual depth coaches who want to make the world a more brave and loving place. Her students come from around the world. Find Christi at www.awakencoaching.com.

California Walnuts

Phosphorescence