looking for the truest truth in the painting : the truth , he thought , the truth i seek , is not the paltry one of what makes four ( two plus two ) , or what makes six ( three plus three , or three times two , or nine less three ) the truth , he thought , the truth i seek , is not the pleasant one of one more kiss , or one more touch or glance and sweet caress the truth , he thought , the truth i seek , is not the ugly one of starved to death by constant greed the truth , he thought , the truth i seek is not the shiny one of just so many stars and just so far away the truth , he thought , the truth i seek is not the falling one of gravity , the rising one of air , the gliding one of wind , or sinking one of stone nor the flying one of bird , or swimming one of fish , or swaying one of tree or grass in the wind , or raining one of clouds too gray and heavy nor the warming one of sun , or stilling one of moon the truth , he thought , the truth i seek is all of these and more the truth , he thought , the truth i seek is that one yes that proves it all , affirmative of all corroborated everywhere in everything in everyone the truth , he thought , the truth i seek is that one breath that brought it all about is that one truth that first and last and always says : see , i am evident it is that one long and silent yes which everything points to , and i will look for and find each thing that does for as i look , and listen well my heart , my me will tell if this one thing , say this stone this bird bears witness and i will know , for know i do , if it does and if it does ill render it true with color true this painting to receive , embrace , reflect this canvas of evidence each thing , it could be a smile , a frown it could be a sigh , the bending over to kiss the earth of the bluebell each such thing as i see i will render it true in this painting a friendly word , the silent god i see and paint them both upon my canvas he laughs and laughs and can not stop : it too strikes me true and so i add his laughter this i know : when all i see and all i hear and all i sense and think and fear when all i taste and all i touch and all i read and treasure much when all i was and ever will be when all you were and ever will be when all this is and ever will be when all rings true with color brushed again by me then i will have rendered true the truth i seek and behold , he says : the painting is come alive as one long and never ending yes and finding it , seeing his collection of little truths come together at last to form the one yes he was looking for , harry was soon struck by another , stranger one , in the paintee : it is done , and come alive it lives and breathes and labors that colors could rise and cast shadow that trees first bent this way now bend that bemused i sit and wonder its here all right canvas of all life alive indeed and vastly me but only as a paintee as painter this bemusing thing : the paintee looks up and says good the paintee looks down and says bad the paintee looks up and says white the paintee looks down and says black the paintee looks up and says love the paintee looks down and says hate the paintee looks up and says god the paintee looks down and says devil the paintee looks up and says heaven the paintee looks down and says hell the painter looks on and says : painting the ring of melting ends with layers , which , whenever he reads it , makes harry wonder if wendell reeses did not simply de-materialize rather than vanishthere is a difference .