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Paunch Lyrics by Joe Weil

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In the middle of getting dressed,
ambushed by a mirror,
I'm brought up halt and shamed
before the paunch.
It isn't a gut or beer belly,
a spare tire or love handles,
but something sinister, something
beyond the often tender misshapenness
of me.

Suddenly, I'm not young anymore
and that twenty-five-year-old poet
who liked my work, who spoke
with a voice like dusk, who swept
waves of thick jet hair
from her face as she spoke,
really only liked my work.

How awful. How sad
to be entering the realm
of the fathers.
There is no hope unless it be
a twig of slippery elm,
a perfectly blue dinner plate,
a flower I don't remember ever seeing
that gives off the spice
of a woman's sun-warmed back.

Where are those magical things?
How to find them?
And if I should master the elements,
what then?

I'd still be Prospero at best,
that old bag of tricks, vengeful,
clinging to his beautiful daughter.

Sit ups are, of course, out of the question.
This goes way beyond fitness.
This is the one grey hair
I spend mornings searching for
and pluck like a fat autumn shrew
from its lair.

Fierce and merciless like an owl,
I hover over the ruins of my life.
Trying to suck the demon in, I fall
three waist lines short of Valhalla.

Christ have mercy!
Keep me far from mirrors
and voices like dusk
in which the Angelus rings
and the stars rise,
for I am only a poet, a fat poet
heartsick with desire
and fastened to a dying animal.
Credits
Joe Weil

Joe Weil

About “Paunch” by Joe Weil

Read the complete lyrics to "Paunch" by Joe Weil. On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Non-Music, Literature.

"Paunch" is performed by Joe Weil. This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "Paunch", explore more songs by Joe Weil using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

View all songs and biography for Joe Weil · Trending lyrics · Billboard Hot 100

Frequently asked questions

"Paunch" is credited to Joe Weil. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

Album information for "Paunch" is not available in our database yet. You can still read the full lyrics on this page.

Visit the Joe Weil artist page at /artist/joe-weil for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.

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