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

Last Farewell

We both are old. That seems to be the problem. You can't hear me, but I need to talk to you anyway. God knows that I looked after you the best I could. I asked for a second opinion today. They agreed on the diagnosis. They said it bluntly: This is the end. In an ultimate act of generosity you will become a donor, which will extend the lives of some of your kind. Reluctantly, I sign the documents with tearful eyes. “Hurry up, buddy! This won´t be the end of the world,” says the impatient owner of the scrapyard.

Miguel Ángel Calvo worked for an insurance company for nearly three decades. He is a retiree who dedicates part of his time to writing.

Summer Stroll

Gray Hair