03 complicated jargon, red

She was diagnosed
with ovarian cancer:
major surgery
chemo
sickness
hair loss
complicated jargon, red
tape.
As well as working
her husband cared for her.
‘Having chemotherapy makes you see
everything through a mist.’
One day
she came downstairs
to discover her husband
lying on the living room floor
dead.
Afterward
the Department told her
she could no longer claim employment support
because her bereavement benefit
was five pounds more a week
and she was not allowed
to claim for both.

[Grimsby Evening Telegraph, 26/01/2011, I didn’t ask to be ill, I just asked for support]