The Postman - The Ownership of Poetry and Love
Mario Ruoppolo:
My dear poet and comrade, you got me into this mess, you've got to get me out of it. You gave me books to read, you taught me to use my tongue for more than licking stamps. It's your fault if I'm in love.
Pablo Neruda:
No, this has nothing to do with me. I gave you my books but I didn't authorize you to steal my poems. If you think you gave Beatrice the poem I wrote for Matilde--
Mario Ruoppolo:
Poetry doesn't belong to those who write it, but those who need it.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
The Postman - Reflections on Poetry and Emotion
Pablo Neruda: [after reading a poem]
What do you think?
Mario Ruoppolo:
It's weird.
Pablo Neruda:
What do you mean, weird? You're a severe critic.
Mario Ruoppolo:
No, not your poem. Weird... Weird... how I felt while you were saying it.
Pablo Neruda:
How was that?
Mario Ruoppolo:
I don't know. The words went back and forth.
Pablo Neruda:
Like the sea then?
Mario Ruoppolo:
Exactly. Like the sea.
Pablo Neruda:
There, that's the rhythm.
Mario Ruoppolo:
I felt seasick, in fact.
Pablo Neruda:
Because...
Mario Ruoppolo:
I can't explain it. I felt like...like a boat tossing around on those words.
Pablo Neruda:
Like a boat tossing around on my words? Do you know what you've done, Mario?
Mario Ruoppolo:
No, what?
Pablo Neruda:
You've invented a metaphor. Yes, you have!
Mario Ruoppolo:
Really? But it doesn't count because I didn't mean to.
Pablo Neruda:
Meaning to is not important. Images arise spontaneously.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
The Postman - Questioning the Consequences of Breaking Free
Mario Ruoppolo:
So what if we break our chains? What do we do then?
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
The Postman - The Beauty of a Smile
Mario Ruoppolo:
Your smile spreads like a butterfly.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
The Postman - The Beauty of Laughter's Sound
Mario Ruoppolo:
Your laugh is a sudden silvery wave.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
The Postman - The Nobel Prize and Poetic Ambitions
Mario Ruoppolo:
If you make this much of a fuss about one poem, you're never going to win that Nobel Prize.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.