She was told to claim P.I.P. because her D.L.A. was due to stop
And they lost her forms
She told them she had diabetes, unstable personality disorder,
depression, anxiety and agoraphobia
And they stopped her benefits
She was told she must make a new claim
And they would not reinstate her payments
She told them she was literally starving and cold
And they said they’d heard it all before
She told them she was £5000 in debt
And they said she’d been sobbing during the call
She told them she literally cannot leave the house
And they rejected her plea for an at-home assessment
She told them she genuinely can’t survive like
this for much longer
And they did nothing
She was found unconscious next to a letter from the DWP
And they told her she must attend a benefits assessment
She was in a coma for ten weeks
And then she died.

Kittie Belltree

Kittie Belltree is a specialist tutor for neuro-diverse students at Aberystwyth University. Her debut poetry collection, Sliced Tongue and Pearl Cufflinks (2019) is published by Parthian.