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

Wake Up

“Wake up Joe.” My mom gently nudged me awake and I came to. My eyes squinted, adjusting to the sunlight. As the morning fog cleared I realized that my mother was crying. I immediately thought my elderly live-in grandmother had passed away. My mom said “come upstairs.” I fumbled to put on pants and a shirt as I followed my sobbing mother out of my bedroom. I followed her up the stairs, through the kitchen, and out onto our back deck. As she flicked a lighter to light a cigarette, she said, “Your brother has been in a car accident.”

Joseph Loux is the head trader with a socially responsible investment firm called Trillium. He enjoys fishing, playing softball and poker, and spending time with his wife and two kids. Find Joe on Twitter and Instagram @JoeLoux.

Last Dance

The Neighbor