By CJ Muchhala

If, the quietest, most inconsequential 
of words, if size 
and sound matter. So fraught
with meaning: 
	If the boat doesn’t sink…
	If the glove fits…
encompassing future and past in
two thin, angular letters 
and one innocuous sound:
	If you loved me…
	If she recovers…
signaling the most improbable
and probable of outcomes,
one wonders the word doesn’t 
split under the weight, the i  falling
leftward, the  f  to the right, and
if 
that were to happen, one could
lose the ability to hedge.