The Colourful Empyrean

A place so serene with myriad colours, With nature's beauty so plenty, Yet wild! A land full of rivers, lakes, ponds, hot springs and volcanoes An wandering eye would love to behold, But! Neither the springs have water, Nor the lakes are azure, Neither the ponds are crystal clear, Nor the lava is red. Instead! Hot springs are made of sulphur, Emitting bright yellow colour. The copper-laced lakes, Are of turquoise tinge. The ponds are of bright green hue, Made of sulfuric acid, Surrounded by red, yellow and orange minerals. Lava burns blue, Volcanic lava oozes out, In blue, green, yellow and red colour. Hillocks of salt cover the terrains. River dries up never to reach the ocean. One must be wondering that, Am I in a tottering dream? Or I must be lost in the mesmerizing world of colours! But far away in the, Land of Ethiopia, Lavishly flourished with vibrant and dazzling colours, A piece of land with phantasmagoric beauty, Known as the Danakil Depression. Some call it the "Gateway to Hell", To some it is the "Land of killer Lakes". The weather here is not magnanimous. Rather harsh with blistering hot sunbeams. Yet habitat to some people, Who call it their abode. When the sun sets over lake Karum, Darkness takes over, Only the starry night, Stares silently, On this unearthly land. Date of submission: 07/04/2021