Lieu Poems | Examples


List of Member Poems

In Lieu of Soot

The world was my darkness
The soot in my blackened sights 
I once cried in shallows
Words entomed within my grave
Dug with smiles merrit of fading sorrows
My final morrows led by fate
Towards the rejoicing of tomorrow.

3.11.23

Premium Member In Lieu

You carefully put your life in my hands
to bystanders that may come off reckless;
I feel like I know what compelled you to
in the moments no one else understands;
Maybe now you feel safe to be careless
looking in my eyes you see what's true;
Platonic and yet 'Til death do us part.'
downed power lines an emotional mess;
Fantasizing with me your heart just flew;
In many ways you tore yourself apart 
                       in lieu.

I Am Going To Live In Future

Time passes,
my past time has passed,
but not totally
I came from the past
but I will board
for the future
in the present tense
where am I...
To seize the destination
lieu that God reserved me ..!


Premium Member In Lieu of Suspicion

Unlocked the door while sun rises.
Even though life's full of surprises.

Such and Such a Place

WE KNEAD SUCH & SUCH:
TO COME DOWN HERE
AND SERANDE THESE
DRIFTING LOVERS
MAYBE THE SWEET SOUNDS
OF MUSIC
MIGHT INSPIRE THEM
TO IRON OUT THERE
 DIFFERANCES

BASSOONS
OBOE
FLUTES
DRUMS
GUITERS
KETTLERS
CONGO'S
CLARINETS
VIOLENS
CHELLOS
PIANO
SWEET RANGES OF BACKGROUND SINGERS

SUCH AND SUCH A PLACE
AT SUCH AND SUCH
A TIME
TWO WILLINGFUL LOVERS
WHO LOVE ONE ANOTHER
OOH OOH, OOH
SUCH AND SUCH A PLACE
AND SUCH AND SUCH A TIME
SUCH AND SUCH A PLACE
AND SUCH AND SUCH A TIME!

Premium Member In Lieu of Latest News

the haiku famous
nation of conservation
who will save the whale

© Harry J Horsman 2018


Drift In Lieu of Swim

Much like the ocean
She was raw and real
Not steady, quite deadly
Never calm or still

The waves were her words
Unpredictable as they crash
Both influenced by weather
Well equipped, bold and brash

Perhaps this explains
Her addiction to the coast
Submerged in wild waters
At peace, she would float

Submitting to the motion
Surrendering to the wind
Becoming one with the ocean
Drift in lieu of swim

London As the Lieu

Until recently, I had the impression
Of decaying
Along with the moral standards 
Of contemporary Europe, 
With London as the lieu 
To which all Autoroutes lead.
                                                                    
In my room, I was surrounded
By debris
Of my existence,
Lacking the will even to clear
The carpet, whose colour,
Incidentally I came to forget.
                                                                    
I ceaselessly tampered with my hair,
Growing it long,
Having it cropped, hennaing it red,
Dyeing it blue-black, bleaching it near-white;
It fell out in bunches,
Dessicated and exhausted.
                                                                    
My face grew sallow and haggard,
With bloodshot, inflamed,
Glazed, blue-ringed orbs, 
And bitten, bloated, ravaged lips.
My body lost its athletic aspect,
And became shapeless and emaciated.

("London as the Lieu", which first existed in prose form as part of an absurd - which is to say entirely fictional - unfinished story, dates from the '80s.)

Premium Member Rain In Lieu of Snow

If we have precipitation, 
in any situation, 
let it be rain in lieu of snow. 
For me, that is the way to go. 
If it must rain, then let it flow. 
Let it be warm enough to be like spring. 
I am sick and tired of this winter thing. 
I'm sure many other times it's been told. 
I don't want anymore of the cold.

inspired by another member's poem

Premium Member In Lieu of a Tail

Every seen a cat chase its own tail
Know some guys that have a similar trait
In lieu of a tail, they mumble all day
Incoherent looking for a mate

They walk around bumping into things
Oblivious to what's in their way
Mumbling, drooling, giggling like a girl
Walking around in a daze

One thing only that can help these guys
A tussle in the hay for an hour
A sure cure for everything that ails them
All they'll see is pretty flowers

Take it from me, had lotsa experience
Not claiming to be a professional
Been down that road on many occasions
Can help with all things emotional

Every seen a cat chase its own tail
Know some guys that have a similar trait

© Jack Ellison 2013

In Lieu of Loving You

Anguished cries in lieu of incoherant whisperings
Ambiguous foundations crack beneath our feet
Force eyes closed, hopes and dreams, glittering
Blood shed and battle cries, exhibit my defeat

Clawed hands quarry to grasp a new-found stranger
Twisted features unrecognisable upon a face
That so freely loved and laughed, void of dangers
Now a monster, a miscreation who feeds from disgrace

Distorting ecstacy into the soddenest seasons
Publically perform for all this mental masquerade
Vindicated, exculpated, for a million and one wrong reasons
Formulate liberation, then surrender, I'm afraid.

Where are you now, miss you, where did you go?
Pursuing lugubrious memories for familiarity
Chasing pipedreams from shadows, give them a blow
Repudiate your oppresive abuse, reclaim my sanity 


23rd August 2011

Found In Lieu

Find me out by the banana tree
where I loved you, and you loved me
stringing purple, braided beads
underneath the wind
Find me lapping up the dew
where you met me, and I met you
at just the moment time fell through
the gaping of our souls
Find me underneath the lake
a trail of bubbles in my wake
from diving down to give and take
the liquid words of daylight
Find me in your pocket too
a gift of soul from me to you
stamped, delivered, found in lieu
of love in it's conception.

Looking for the formal definition, structure, and history of this poetry form? Visit the Poetry Dictionary entry below. Then return to explore how PoetrySoup members bring the form to life through their own poems.

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