THIN LACE is a spoken-word poem from Ana María Caballero’s MAMMAL about the evolution of intimacy in long-term relationships. Written in Caballero's signature, multi-valent style, it paints an honest portrait of the collision of committed love, exhaustion, and desire. MAMMAL was the winner of the prestigious 2022 Steel Toe Books Poetry Prize and a semi-finalist for both the Vassar Miller Prize and the Birdy Poetry Prize. It will be published by Steel Toe Books in 2024.

thin lace



perhaps it stops being about

me loving you

you loving me

us loving us



& more about

ceasing

embracing a life that ends



watch it end



i bought flimsy pajamas for you

for me

for us



lace for the children’s

rock-hard home



but who cares about sex

i just want you to wipe away baby shit



mature love is the best



it makes you smarter

because you have to think



i’ve always preferred smart to happy

our mid-life love makes me happy



i think



THIN LACE is part of the exhibition A BEATING HEART. FEMALE PIONEERS OF DIGITAL ART presented by EXPANDED.ART on view 17 May to 4 June 2023 in Berlin.