Andrea Varga’s most recent poem to appear here was “Why?” (August 2018). 

Beauty
By Andrea Varga

The evil has the face of an angel
And the innocent ones lose their virginity
at the hands of the hangman.

Death lies on the bottom
of the jar of my face cream
the cats, the dogs scream
with needles piercing their brains.

They are the victims
of the beauty on my face
but I can’t hold back—
because I’m the victim
of my own insecurities.

So I stand out in the acidy rain,
hold up my face and I see
my skin rotting away,
my eyes burning with flame,
my teeth stinking decay
and I become an angel
with the evil face.

Will you now kiss me?