the overwhelming
of Nepal and Tibet

I’m lucky

I’ve gone
under
and come up again

not floods but enveloped
by
loss of breath and
danger to
recover

with scars and fears
yet
still here to learn and to offer
and take in

love
as has been directed by
the second great commandment

water
mud
current
overwhelming gravity
and
by the water
land
and force to still the muscle
take the breath

deliver death like
an angel
painting lintels on a certain
night in Egypt

only this
was from a glacier
that
maybe was
maybe was not supposed to break
and
send the killing ice to water
down
to overwhelm

the hundreds found with
hundreds missing more

to all
a hopeful rescue
or
arrivals
tentative to check
in morgues
for those we might have known

and to know or fear from
missing

so much destroyed and what
remains
and what
to do

and prayer has power

so does money
so
too
does presence
and all work together
present

c l couch

photo by Sanjay Hona on Unsplash

NBC News
August 28, 2026, 7:37 AM EDT
• At least 547 people are dead after catastrophic flash floods Wednesday along the border between Nepal and China’s Tibet region, authorities in Nepal said.
• Hundreds of foreign tourists are among those who remain missing in the area, which is popular with trekkers and pilgrims. Rescue operations have resumed in both China and Nepal after they were briefly suspended amid fears of renewed flooding.
• In China, where a mudslide hit a land crossing between Nepal and Tibet’s Gyirong county, authorities said five people were dead and 558 others were missing, including 260 foreigners.
• The State Department says 90 Americans are unaccounted for in Nepal and China, while three have been rescued in Nepal. It said it was not aware of any U.S. deaths.
• The deadly torrent followed a glacial collapse in the Himalayan region, which is home to many of the world’s highest peaks and a high concentration of glaciers.