waking up in the middle of the night
to eat nuts. this is how the curse
starts. the crunch of almond and cashew
under dry teeth. later you'll lose hair
in places, gain back in others.
a small halo of fire will begin to appear
about your head. a crown of flames.
this will grow over time. a man with an object
in front of his face occupies all your dreams
now. he begins to appear in public places,
in reality. people start to see the flames.
or do they? this is just how it begins,
and now you try and guess how it ends.