Breath & Shadow
August 2026 - Vol. 23, Issue 4
"The Death of Empathy"
written by
Lynn White
When empathy died
the soldiers could dance
in the underwear of the women
whose homes they had destroyed.
And dance they did with pride.
You can see it in the films they made.
When empathy was dead
the soldiers could steal children’s toys
from the rubble of their bombed homes
and repurpose them as tank trophies
mascots to be flaunted with pride.
You can see it in the films they made.
When they had killed empathy
the soldiers could shoot babies
in the head or gut - they chose,
and someone’s daughter 200 times,
or 300 - they could choose
though there were fewer films now
‘enjoy yourselves but don’t film’,
they had been ordered
and most followed orders.
When empathy was dead and buried
and only silence could still be heard,
Israel was supreme,
a supreme being,
godlike in its power.
Human rights were dead,
humans would follow
any of them
even all
when empathy was no more
no one watched the films.
Lynn White lives in north Wales. Her work is influenced by issues of social justice and events, places and people she has known or imagined. She is especially interested in exploring the boundaries of dream, fantasy and reality. She has been nominated for Pushcarts, Best of the Net and a Rhysling Award.