that one time in the heartland

[status_quotient]

she told me she valued brevity
and so I replied
"huh."

this exhalation, or non-reply
hung on her lips
begging to become more
so we let it hang there
for nearly a minute
nonplussed

It wasn't until
I watched her walk away
and her shadow elongated
as if it it didn't truly want to leave

that I realized
I should have said more