Featuring the work of Mr. Steve Lyman, ILA Magazine's contributing editor. Captain Badass There's death in store, Finally silence that song Need to kill that mockingbird,
That's seduced me for so long... Why!! Should I accept this?? I simply need to survive, Only one of us will stay alive... Because of this desire, To finally break free... Show the burning fire, That's bestowed within me... How!! Will I do it?? Let's drown the mockingbird, I will do it here at sea This Badass Captain, Is gonna do the deed, And then all will see This is my Ship, My Space, I am the leader in this Place, This Ship belongs to me... Who am I?? You may ask of me Captain Badass, The master of the sea... I've been trapped, I've been seduced, By the mockingbird's song But now I have killed it, And I've come back strong Without any more seduction, Nothing else will go wrong And now, yes now!! You will all finally see This is my Ship, This is my Voyage I am Captain Badass, Master of all in front of Me My ship is still afloat, As all you shipmates can see Death to the mockingbird, That tried to rule seductively You're food for the shark, At the bottom of the sea... I am Captain Badass, You take your orders from me... Captain Badass, The master of every sea... © Steve A. Lyman This is a take on a well known song by Frank Sinatra, 'My Way', only in a more satirical version... "Your Way to My Way" And now, the end is near, I've finished my rehabilitation. The reason, I was put here, constant abuse, of my medication. I've been through detox now, the counseling, is improving my day And the courts, leave me alone, If I do it, Your Way... Regrets, Oh I've had a few, and alcohol, didn't make it easier. Sometimes, I didn't have a clue, what happened next, Total Amnesia. I got myself messed up, totally pissed, for most of the day. So the courts, they ordered me, to do it Their Way... Now there were times, I didn't agree. When sent somewhere, I didn't want to be. And through it all, I would scream and shout. Have a hissy fit, spit my dummy out. But no more the fool, now I stand tall. Cos I did it, Your Way... Yes, I stand tall, and I've done it all Proud to now live, My Way... Yes, I stand tall, cos I've done it all... I'm proud to live, My Way... © Steve A. Lyman "Hurting Deep Inside"

Hurting deep inside, I'm feeling haunted by the past. All the history I have made, will become something ahead of me. Carrying me back to where I have been before, my memories carry no mystery. Painfully I will relive them again, is this how it's meant to be. They say the future is not ours to see, but believe me it is. Sometimes it's looking back at the past that is in your mind. Yeah, there were many a good time spent, many beautiful pictures in view, but it's not always that simple. When life has dealt you so much shit, why would you want to face it all again. It hurt you so much the first time around, don't you think that was traumatic enough. Ever since I have tried to pull away, move onwards to pastures new. But this doesn't happen now, not like it should, anyway. I've reached this pivotal point in my life, the point where I can no longer control it. My brain has taken control, it now decides where I go, what lies ahead of me. This may sound like I'm giving up, and you will say... Love, Care, or Inspiration will guide me away from this. That's what I thought until now, until I realized I have to accept what I am dealt. You see, once again I have more brain issues, need more surgery. Yes, they can remove the tumor, and the shunt will keep things at bay. But realistically, the speed of Alzheimer's taking hold of me, well, that cannot be reversed. So backwards to my past is something that lies ahead of me. You could say the future ahead, I guess I already see. And that is what will definitely be, the hurting deep inside of me... © Steve A. Lyman "Deceived" Every look and I was full of desire When you smile my heart is on fire Whenever you spoke I did believe But every smile and word - was just deceive Someone else would soon work it out Another man would just scream and shout But I just calmly figured it out And now I no longer hang about Nor will I hope for what was before No man could ever give you more Let not this last chat be in vain Pack up and go never deceive me again All thoughts keep going through my mind Perhaps someday a new love I'll find But until I reach that perfect day No one will ever deceive me this way... © Steve A. Lyman "Destiny Arrives..." That first look and I was taken in When we talked I felt something within Before long, it was obvious we should be together Have met the one I've been looking for Has fate just arrived at my heart's door I wasn't expecting this today But I feel a connection in some sort of way I asked if we could meet up again sometime All the days that passed in-between I dreamt that you were gonna be mine Has fate finally come to me Is this something that is my destiny A picture of the future is clear and visionary When I close my eyes it's your beauty I see Longing for your tender touch Something I have missed for so long Those butterflies inside me flutter This must be love I feel it so strong For I only felt this from you, alone I count the hours that I am at home Praying that you feel the same way too I get prepared to meet up again with you If this is not my future destiny Then you will not be there and it's not meant to be But as I walk into the coffee bar
My heart skipped a beat as there you are This vision of beauty I once again see You have turned up so this must be The arrival of what is my destiny... © Steve A. Lyman "The Vision of Harmony" I am mesmerized by the world of today Media showing disasters and war everyday The beauty of the earth is going astray As the greed of mankind is taking it away It's time to take care of what we have been given The nature of our planet was made for living The beginning to look a horrid state We must stop this destruction for everyone's sake Who knows how long we have left But the time we do have we must do our best Try and live together in harmony Build a better generation through Unity It's a future for our children we must visually see That's the only way to save humanity Let's negotiate around the tables, not fight Tell the politicians it's our desire to get it right No more rockets and bombs throughout the night Just rebuilding together for a future that's bright Can we honestly stare at someone in the eye And feel nothing except you're going to die What type of world do you want to see For me, it's the beauty of love and harmony... © Steve A. Lyman "One More Thing Today" That was a pretty good day - as far as days go But of course - as days go - it just went Gone - Never to be seen again - never to return As is the transient nature of all experience What achievement has come from today It makes me think - Causes me to dwell Have I done enough - Made a difference in any way Well I did ring a friend - that's something But probably - I should have done it long before now I helped that old lady pack her shopping - Something I should do without a second thought I wonder - Is there anything else I could have done perhaps - I should have said 'good evening' - to that person just passing by It wouldn't have hurt - to just give a smile Capture their eyes - Just to acknowledge they are there After all - They may be having similar thoughts But - Does it even matter if they don't In today's society - We just don't make the time - Too busy rushing around No time for pleasantries - Not today So yes - I could have done more Absolutely - without a doubt But of course - I still have a little time left today I know - I will pray for all those people The ones - I have totally ignored today - Yes - I can still do something else - In my small way © Steve A. Lyman "Words Don't Always Come Easy..." Words don't always come easy, although they are constant in the mind. It's just a case of realization, maybe in rhythm or rhyme. Bleeding our ink strategically, unifying themes in a line. The brain makes its interaction, of where they should be
aligned. The outcome could come out perfectly, we get it right first time. But more than not, it needs editing, that's normally what I find. Because words don't always come easy, from the start to the bottom line. © Steve A. Lyman "Face Exposure of Unity..." With a mind clearly clouded by the sky A face like the rock mountains high Cheeks like the sandy desert so dry A chin chiseled carefully feeding the supply But there are two visions upon this face The other angle is as beautiful as a terrace Those rosebud lips hold a voluptuous space A prominent nose perfectly in its place Take notice to the artistic mystery Believing it's your choice to be free Mountains or clouds won't stop visionary When all joined together blended in Unity... © Steve A. Lyman "Easy on the Workout" Slow me down, My mind is ticking, Adrenaline pumping, Blood pressure high, Heart is thumping, Thoughts keep jumping, Slow it down... Take a break, Relaxation, Got to be taken, This motivation, If I'm not mistaken, Causing dehydration, In this situation, Take a break... Start again, Slow building, Uplifting, Body shifting, Muscle burning, Calories going, Face glowing, Timer showing, I am slowing, But keep going, Reach the top, A personal best, Time to stop... Time to rest, Passed my test. And now, relax, Take a breath, Time has come, Nothing left, Workout done... © Steve A. Lyman "Alone With Trauma" When he walks alone, Those moments of despair... No one noticed him, Did anyone even care As he travels along, Heading for nowhere Mumbles to his self, No conversation to share... He doesn't harm anyone, Doesn't beg, doesn't call... Because nobody would listen, They just think he's that fool Who stumbles up steps Leaning against every wall In fact, he is nothing in their eyes A nobody, he means nothing at all... But this is a young man, who is caught up in himself Life's dealt him a bad hand, No money, no wealth... Just left by the wayside, Kicked off every shelf And all because he is suffering, From severe mental health... They don't know his past, Do they even care They would if they knew him, Fought with him out there... If the moments of trauma, They also had to share Then perhaps they would like him Have some kindness to spare... But this a young man, Who suffers trauma and despair © Steve A. Lyman "Confidence" Confidence is low Nowhere to go Life has no flow Have lost my mojo But I just carry on Pushing myself along When things go wrong I must remain strong It's just this situation Stuck in stagnation Require some motivation Looking for inspiration Yet life still remains Pressure contains Reel in the reigns Look for the gains © Steve A. Lyman "Warriors Don't Hide" Hurting is surely the most painful part When you're nursing fragments of a broken heart But just keep looking forward and don't fall apart Lift yourself up and give the day a kickstart You have a bright future there up ahead So just try getting your sorry ass out of bed So much to do and things to be said Clear that dark space contained within your head Help to make your day completely turnaround Pick yourself up from that magnetic ground Put on some loud music and dance around Powerfully drown out all that negative sound Then you can really start to enjoy your day Just let your inner happiness come out to play You'll feel a whole lot better if I might say And your beautiful smile will come back to stay I know it's easier said than done And I know you're not in the mood for fun But come alive and get things won And then start connecting with everyone Because you are a lot stronger than you think You can override all these things that stink You have people who love you right by your side You're a warrior for sure and need never to hide... © Steve A. Lyman "The Beauty of a Rose" From the moment I saw her, Just a short distance away She had captured me for certain Right from that very day Her vision within a picture frame, I will never ever forget. Through this blooming arch of roses, Came forth, her shapely silhouette. Oh so elegantly she glided, As she walked slowly on by. Flicking her long auburn hair, Revealing eyes as blue as a cloudless sky. Her rosebud lips turned into a smile That flutter of her eyelashes The warmth felt from her magical flow, Turning all men into ashes Except for me, as her magnetism Set my heart on fire She had already chosen me, Having guessed my true desire A servant I am for her every need, There's nothing I would oppose, As forever I have been captured, By the Beauty of a Rose... © Steve A. Lyman Steve Lyman lives in the Kettering area of the UK. Brought up in Northampton, he was educated at a normal high school, where he left with various qualifications, but decided to join the Armed Forces, instead. Writing and Poetry came about during the Covid Lockdown. Looking for something different, he decided he would join a Poetry group. It didn't take long to get hooked, and he helped create a group that played a big part in his life...with the mentorship of the group creator, he suddenly found himself doing creative writing as well as many different types of poetry...rhythm and rhyme, shaping and lines and before he knew it, he was creating many styles of poetry.
Now he has a couple of his own groups where he airs his vision of Unity, Equality and Happiness, one group that stands up for Action Against Abuse of any kind. He is also an admin for several other groups.
He has achieved lots of things during the past few years. He's been featured in 7 different anthologies, has written for a couple of magazines and also proud to be a compiler, and main author in "Seasons For All Nations", having mentored many of the co-authors. Today, he continues to stand up for Unity, Humanity and Abuse of any nature...Being appointed the UK Ambassador for New Leaf, but his most recent appointment as an Editorial Contributor with ILA Magazine, has taken him to another level, and the support he has received during his recent sickness, has been an inspiration to continue his writing...This is just another Chapter in his life with many more to follow.