-
New to Five Minute Observations? Welcome. I’m Joe Class III, and I write stories and essays about what I notice, the encounters that reveal something true, and the moments that stick with you after they’re gone. If you’re just getting started, these three pieces will give you a sense of what this space is about:…
-
“I cannot believe you, Bianca.” Bianca’s mother opened the trunk of her Mercedes. Inside were three garment bags, a makeup case, and four shoe boxes. Each box had a different name brand plastered on the outside. Two were high heels, and the other two were flats. Bianca was sobbing. Standing in line ten minutes ago,…
-
Hot dogs steaming in their own juice. Popcorn. That sickeningly sweet-blown sugar smell of cotton candy. Sometimes blue, but most often, it was that sticky bubble gum pink color. Corn chips and the nacho cheese slathered all over them in those flimsy paper trays. Most kids shied away from the jalapenos, but a few of…
-
Music. It’s the one thing keeping me grounded. I know. A lot of people wonder how you can possibly think when you are listening to songs with lyrics. Songs that make you think and feel. I don’t know. But I can. Plus, I’ve been doing it for as long as I can remember. School isn’t…
-
A wave, the biggest one I’ve ever seen, coming straight towards me – from the Mississippi River? Over the top of the river wall, at least a third of the distance of the wall. So, what? Fifteen feet? At the low end? I don’t know. I was never all that great at judging distance, especially…
-
“Nathan, you can’t disclose people’s personal identification numbers just because you can figure it out. Besides, how do you know you are correct? You take their card?” The two servers were standing out back of Geovanni’s Italian eatery, one of the finer restaurants in Macon, Georgia. “Dude. You always have access to their card.” “You…
-
Thirteen years old. You aren’t old enough to drive a car. But this is the age where the seeds of freedom are being planted. You aren’t old enough to understand abstract thinking but are slowly moving there. Everything is black and white – kind of. Emotions are high, all over the map. Everything in your…
-
“Right, right, right.” “Are you just agreeing with me?” “Why on earth would I do that?” “Um, I don’t know? To mess with me?” “Why would I want to mess with you?” I’d never seen this woman dressed in capris with red heels, a crème colored blouse, pearls around her neck, and a full-length thinly…
-
Thanksgiving. Christmas. Our thoughts turn to presents, good food, and company, all of which you’ve worked so diligently throughout the year. And, like it or not, Western culture typically thinks of generosity as giving from your wallet, in terms of cold, hard cash, or a lucrative donation. The simplest definition of the word generous is…
-
“What did you say?” Marcus blinked several times, not believing what he heard. “How can I help you?” Marcus looked down at the man. His clothes were well-worn, dirty, and greasy in spots from motor oil or some other substance. The shoes on his feet had a hole in one of the toes, and the…
Stories. Enjoy!
