When I watch the fires
And the destruction around
I’m glad I’m still here.
***
Sitting home alone
I feel so much love for God
I feel like crying
***
People watch in awe
Their homes burn to ashes
Knowing they’ll rebuild.
***
Ms. Gallegos came from Mexico as a teenager and lived in Altadena and Pasadena through high school. She then moved to Oxnard and attended community college. She transferred to California State University, Northridge and got her teaching credential. She taught for almost 18 years in Hueneme Elementary School District until a work injury followed by a stroke kept her home. She paused her Master’s but resumed after hospitalization. She graduated with her M.A. June 2015. Works have appeared in Altadena Review, Hometown Pasadena, Silver Birch Press, and Basta! She published her first book called Grab the Bull by the Horns, Outskirts Press, 2016. Her latest book, Stepping Stones: Journal to Recovery from Stroke and Brain Injury is now also available on Amazon.