Whiteness

I wanted a can of white paint To finish my dining room wall. I'd started with left-over paint and simply couldn't recall, the exact white that paint was named. White is white, I've always claimed. But I found that isn't truly right. White sometimes is not the same as white. There is white, near white, off white, creamy white, clear white, white white and oyster white and more. I brought home every sample of white there was in that paint store. I dabbed and daubed and dappled until I could plainly see I had no white that was the white I'd put on the other three. I grew tired of that whiteness game and threw my paint-brush down, went back to the store for a gallon of paint and painted that wall brown.