Tragic Villains

[addy]

Just watched Phantom of the Opera with my sister, so this is very relevant

A slowly turning face in a dark room,
like some terrible flower opening,
reveals the extent of a man's disfigurement. Great opening. I love the narrative voice, like the scene is being read from a script (or as we later see being viewed by an audience). The overall effect is like watching an old black and white horror film.

My favourite villains are always fucked up
by one of chance's games,
emerging from the wake of pain
with faces gouged. I can't love a madman
unless he's been hurt. Again, an entertaining stanza . Maybe you could move L2 to the end of the stanza instead, but that is a very minor nit. It works well as is.

The road to evil is paved not with good intentions
but a writer's contrivances; the soul of God How about "God's soul"? Though i understand it would change the emphasis a bit and thus the meaning, so you might not go for it
looking down and divining a crash.
A man's heart can be malleable,
changed beyond recognition by random hands.

And when like a flower he unfolds himself anew
you will see just dementia and pain. This last line let you down. However I really enjoyed the rest of it immensely.