--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I close my eyes, a useless flutter. I…" description: "\"“I close my eyes, a useless flutter. I open them, and I see you half a world away. I hear fever parting your lips. I feel your shivering, colorless gec..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a5/monique-truong-15906_close-eyes_i-close-my-eyes-a-useless-flutter-i-open_2528975.png" --- # I close my eyes, a useless flutter. I open them, and I see… ![“I close my eyes, a useless flutter. I open them, and I see you half a world away. I hear fever parting your lips. I feel your shivering, colorless geckos running down your spine. I smell the night sweat that has bathed you clean.” quote by Monique Truong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a5/monique-truong-15906_close-eyes_i-close-my-eyes-a-useless-flutter-i-open_2528975.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a5/monique-truong-15906_close-eyes_i-close-my-eyes-a-useless-flutter-i-open_2528975.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a5/monique-truong-15906_close-eyes_i-close-my-eyes-a-useless-flutter-i-open_2528975.png) > ““I close my eyes, a useless flutter. I open them, and I see you half a world away. I hear fever parting your lips. I feel your shivering, colorless geckos running down your spine. I smell the night sweat that has bathed you clean.”” [Monique Truong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monique-truong/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage describes an intimate, sensory-rich encounter, blending physical and emotional sensations to convey deep connection. **In simple terms:** Sensory description of intimate connection. Key Takeaway Notice how senses deepen intimacy. Themes intimacy sensory detail emotion poetry Mood evocative intimate Type descriptive poetic When to use this quote - personal intimacy - creative writing - visual art Key Concepts embodied experience romantic longing Questions to Reflect On - What senses dominate your memories? - How does detail affect emotional impact? A Different Perspective Sensory overload can obscure clarity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [“How do you feel?' Scared,' she said. 'Really scared.' But you don't look it.' I feel I'm shivering inside.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/how-do-you-feel-scared-she-said-really-scared-but-you-don-t-look-it-i/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [“It was the soul of the machine, the ethological epicentre, the planetary ground zero of their commercial energy. I could almost feel it, shivering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-m-banks/it-was-the-soul-of-the-machine-the-ethological-epicentre-the/) [Iain M. Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-m-banks/) > [“A chill went down her back, her body shivering. The hairs on her arms stood on end. She felt eyes on her.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yawatta-hosby/a-chill-went-down-her-back-her-body-shivering-the-hairs-on-her-arms/) [Yawatta Hosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yawatta-hosby/) > [I don't like the idea of you shivering unless I cause it. Stay warm." ----Roarke, Naked In Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-like-the-idea-of-you-shivering-unless-i-cause-it-stay-warm/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I am angry that I starved my brain and that I sat shivering in my bed at night instead of dancing or reading poetry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/i-am-angry-that-i-starved-my-brain-and-that-i-sat-shivering-in-my-bed/) [Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/) > [Swift doth young Love flee, And we stand wakened, shivering from our dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-meredith/swift-doth-young-love-flee-and-we-stand-wakened-shivering-from-our/) [George Meredith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-meredith/) > [Religion was supposed to be a blanket drawn up to your chin to keep you warm, a promise that when it came to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/religion-was-supposed-to-be-a-blanket-drawn-up-to-your-chin-to-keep/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“I close my eyes again. There’s the smell of mountain snow on the air. I shiver. I would have brought a coat if I’d…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-hand/i-close-my-eyes-again-there-s-the-smell-of-mountain-snow-on-the-air-i/) [Cynthia Hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-hand/) > [I was near the Niagara Falls where I was shivering and delivering my lines. It was minus 17 degrees and I had gone there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek/i-was-near-the-niagara-falls-where-i-was-shivering-and-delivering-my/) [Vivek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek/) > [“She stands on the doorstep. She’s shivering. She isn’t wearing a coat and I can see the outline of her breasts”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynda-renham/she-stands-on-the-doorstep-she-s-shivering-she-isn-t-wearing-a-coat/) [Lynda Renham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynda-renham/) > [“Stephen, why are you shivering?' 'I don't know, my darling.' 'Mary, why are you crying?' 'I don't know, Stephen.' p424”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radclyffe-hall/stephen-why-are-you-shivering-i-don-t-know-my-darling-mary-why-are/) [Radclyffe Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radclyffe-hall/) > [“Next up, The Winds of Winter. Wherein, I hope, everybody will be shivering together once again.… —George R. R. Martin    April 2011 ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin/next-up-the-winds-of-winter-wherein-i-hope-everybody-will-be/) [George R.R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin/) > [“Shivering as she gripped the handle, she looked around the cabin one last time. The uneasiness was still there. Why wouldn’t it leave her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-grace-staley/shivering-as-she-gripped-the-handle-she-looked-around-the-cabin-one/) Deborah Grace Staley > [“He is shivering, probably going into deep shock.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-ee/he-is-shivering-probably-going-into-deep-shock/) [Susan Ee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-ee/) > [Never film yourself having sex. You think you'll look powerful and vital, but you don't. You look like a sick, shivering polar bear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-affleck/never-film-yourself-having-sex-you-think-you-ll-look-powerful-and/) [Ben Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-affleck/) ## More by Monique Truong > [“Anh Minh believed that if he could save three minutes here, five minutes there, then one day he could tally them all up and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monique-truong/anh-minh-believed-that-if-he-could-save-three-minutes-here-five/) [Monique Truong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monique-truong/) > [“But that, I am afraid, was my mistake from the very beginning, the fatal flaw in my design. I thought that I could suffocate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monique-truong/but-that-i-am-afraid-was-my-mistake-from-the-very-beginning-the-fatal/) [Monique Truong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monique-truong/) > [“When they are like this, I remember what the man on the bridge had told me: "The French are all right in France." What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monique-truong/when-they-are-like-this-i-remember-what-the-man-on-the-bridge-had/) [Monique Truong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monique-truong/) > [“I know you are in your best áo dài. You bought it when you were just eighteen. Gray is not a color for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monique-truong/i-know-you-are-in-your-best-o-d-i-you-bought-it-when-you-were-just/) [Monique Truong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monique-truong/) > [“The irony of acquiring a foreign tongue is that I have amassed just enough cheap, serviceable words to fuel my desires and never, never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monique-truong/the-irony-of-acquiring-a-foreign-tongue-is-that-i-have-amassed-just/) [Monique Truong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monique-truong/) > [“Language is a house with a host of doors, and I am too often uninvited and without the keys.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monique-truong/language-is-a-house-with-a-host-of-doors-and-i-am-too-often-uninvited/) [Monique Truong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monique-truong/) > [“I am forced to admit that I am, to them, nothing but a series of destinations with no meaningful expanses in between. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monique-truong/i-am-forced-to-admit-that-i-am-to-them-nothing-but-a-series-of/) [Monique Truong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monique-truong/) > [“She laughed that sharp, quick laugh that smart girls all had, until they found out that the sound of brilliance flashing made boys nervous.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monique-truong/she-laughed-that-sharp-quick-laugh-that-smart-girls-all-had-until/) [Monique Truong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monique-truong/) > [“After a week's worth of failed fairy tales—stories that made my eyelids flutter open and not shut—my father tried telling me stories that belonged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monique-truong/after-a-week-s-worth-of-failed-fairy-tales-stories-that-made-my/) [Monique Truong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monique-truong/) > [Alcohol, I had learned, was an eloquent if somewhat inaccurate interpreter. I had placed my trust that December night in glass after glass of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monique-truong/alcohol-i-had-learned-was-an-eloquent-if-somewhat-inaccurate/) [Monique Truong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monique-truong/) > [“Obey,' like 'worship,' is a strong word. Her mother and father had told her so, and she believed them. They gave her life, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monique-truong/obey-like-worship-is-a-strong-word-her-mother-and-father-had-told-her/) [Monique Truong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monique-truong/) > [“There is no forgiveness in ancestor worship, only retribution and eternal debt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monique-truong/there-is-no-forgiveness-in-ancestor-worship-only-retribution-and/) [Monique Truong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monique-truong/) > [“As a father, he was generous. More or less. The "less" was because he never gave me what I wanted. He gave me only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monique-truong/as-a-father-he-was-generous-more-or-less-the-less-was-because-he/) [Monique Truong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monique-truong/) > [Words, do not have twins in every language. Sometimes they only have distant cousins, and sometimes they pretend that they are not even related.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monique-truong/words-do-not-have-twins-in-every-language-sometimes-they-only-have/) [Monique Truong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monique-truong/) > [Although we strap time to our wrists, stuff it into our pockets, hang it on our walls, a perpetually moving picture for every room…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monique-truong/although-we-strap-time-to-our-wrists-stuff-it-into-our-pockets-hang/) [Monique Truong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monique-truong/) [Explore all 41 Monique Truong quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monique-truong/) ## More Close Eyes quotes > [At the end of night, before you close your eyes, be content with what you've done and be proud of who you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-almond/at-the-end-of-night-before-you-close-your-eyes-be-content-with-what/) [Steve Almond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-almond/) > [Evertime I close my eyes it doesnt matter where, I always see you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patience/evertime-i-close-my-eyes-it-doesnt-matter-where-i-always-see-you/) Patience > [“I think everyone does. Even happy people. They may not admit it to anyone, but I think they feel it. I think they close…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cora-carmack/i-think-everyone-does-even-happy-people-they-may-not-admit-it-to/) [Cora Carmack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cora-carmack/) > [“I close my eyes, and words from an old book flow from my lips. “From flame to ashes, dawn to dusk, for the rest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-thalassa/i-close-my-eyes-and-words-from-an-old-book-flow-from-my-lips-from/) [Laura Thalassa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-thalassa/) > [Sometimes I close my eyes; sometimes I let my hunger rise. I think of all you are - you are the love of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemis-khan/sometimes-i-close-my-eyes-sometimes-i-let-my-hunger-rise-i-think-of/) [Kemis Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemis-khan/) > [Sit down, hold your back up, close your eyes and think about nothing' - that's not on the table for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-povitsky/sit-down-hold-your-back-up-close-your-eyes-and-think-about-nothing/) [Esther Povitsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-povitsky/) > [I always close my eyes after every fight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-o-malley/i-always-close-my-eyes-after-every-fight/) [Sean O'Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-o-malley/) > [Just close your eyes, the sun is going down, you'll be alright, no one can hurt you now, come morning light, you and I'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/just-close-your-eyes-the-sun-is-going-down-you-ll-be-alright-no-one/) [Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/) > [Every time I close my eyes I see you. All I want more than anything is to be with you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-bognar/every-time-i-close-my-eyes-i-see-you-all-i-want-more-than-anything-is/) [Jenna Bognar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-bognar/) > [“Close my eyes just for tonight the sun still sleeps”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/underoath/close-my-eyes-just-for-tonight-the-sun-still-sleeps/) Underoath > [I can't be with you today, but if you close your eyes and think; I'll be beside you in the kitchen wearing your shirt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharlene05/i-can-t-be-with-you-today-but-if-you-close-your-eyes-and-think-i-ll/) Sharlene05 > [No matter what you do I'll be there for you And every time you close your eyes I will be by your side 'Cause…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/proudlesbian/no-matter-what-you-do-i-ll-be-there-for-you-and-every-time-you-close/) ProudLesbian > [“When you're scared, when you close your eyes ... just know there is nothing left to fear!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-richards/when-you-re-scared-when-you-close-your-eyes-just-know-there-is/) [Stephen Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-richards/) > [“I want to see you again,” I told him. “I want you to see me.” “Trust me, I do see you,” he stressed. “You’re…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-frank/i-want-to-see-you-again-i-told-him-i-want-you-to-see-me-trust-me-i-do/) [Ella Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-frank/) > [“Close your eyes. Remember what we talked about that night after your concert? Living is hard. It was hard when you were thirteen, it’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cora-carmack/close-your-eyes-remember-what-we-talked-about-that-night-after-your/) [Cora Carmack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cora-carmack/) Browse all 678 Close Eyes quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I close my eyes, a useless flutter. I open them, and I see you half a world away. I hear fever parting your lips. I feel your shivering, colorless geckos running down your spine. 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