E X C E R P T F RO M
DISCOVERING EROS
before I could even explore who I was
W
and what other paths I might walk hen I was in my late teens
seemed a worse fate than death
and living in communist
itself.
Poland, I observed my
girlfriends offering their virginity
I was looking for other examples
to their boyfriends on their 18th
of what a woman was or could
birthday, then witnessed them
be, but the Communist posters
marching to the altar three months
of well-muscled worker women
later because, of course, they had
driving tractors or waving red flags
fallen pregnant. In those days nearly
didn’t appeal to me. My family was
everyone considered this normal. But
intensely Catholic and I often went
for me the idea of being stuck early
to one of the beautiful baroque
in life in marriage and motherhood
churches in my hometown where 72
