Will Dolben

Sad Movie

Will Dolben

You enter the theater alone, pretend someone’s late to meet you.

The rest of us played this game a few minutes ago— people get the wrong impression if you don’t scan the room or look confused.

I assume you also like Caribbean islands, that tonight you’ll have the salmon, laugh with your husband, say you wanted him to be here.

In the darkness, you tell yourself crying is strong.

This is a secret club. We are all alone. When the movie ends, we stay in our seats until we look composed.

Will Dolben lives in Santa Barbara, California and holds a master's degree in writing from the University of Southern California's MPW program, now known as the MFA in Writing and Publishing at Vermont College of Fine Arts. He was a quarterfinalist in the prestigious Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences international screenwriting competition. His poetry has appeared in journals including Pioneertown, High Shelf and Triggerfish Critical Review. 10