Talented Thursdays: What If? by Karie Bouchard
Updated: Aug 1, 2019
what if i never met you? i probably wouldn’t flinch every time a male friend wants to hug or tickle me. i wouldn’t be so afraid of leaving my house. i wouldn’t curse the heavens every night for forcing me to deal with this experience. but on the other hand… if i hadn’t met you, i wouldn’t be a survivor. i wouldn’t have been able to help other women who are just. like. me. so although every inch of me wants to hate you, i thank you. for giving me the experiences that made me the woman i am today.
your mind is a canvas and my words the paintbrush, gently creating the vivid stories i need you to connect with. — karie bouchard
hello, love! my name’s karie bouchard. it’s a pleasure meeting you here. i’m a self-published novelist from the heartfelt borough of brooklyn, new york city. i take pride in being black as well as being of haitian descent. i’m quite introverted; i prefer to keep quiet and listen rather than talk. to compensate, i write out my thoughts and feelings. as you may imagine, i’m always busy losing myself in my writing. the objective is to take you along with me as i travel the corners of my mind, so you see all that i see.
i shy away from taking front-facing self portraits because what i look like shouldn’t matter to my readers. it’s not my looks that i want you to relate with, it’s my words. so here, have this cup of tea (or coffee, if you’re feeling adventurous) and embrace your inner avid reader. let my words become your new best friends. they’ll provoke feelings that i’m sure you wouldn’t expect them to. nevertheless, i promise you won’t regret it.
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Read more of Karie’s work on her website.
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This is such a powerful and emotionally honest piece. I really appreciated how the poem explores the difficult journey from fear and pain toward strength and helping others. Karie’s words show how writing can turn personal experiences into something meaningful and relatable. It’s a beautiful reminder that self-expression, whether through writing or even choosing a perfume brand in pakistan, can become part of our personal story and identity.
That line about thanking the person who hurt you because they made you a survivor really hit me—it's such a raw, honest way to reframe pain into strength. By the way, I keep a free planning and optimization tool I like to share: https://satisfactorycalculator.net/
Such a powerful and emotional piece, really shows how pain can also shape strength and purpose. The way the writer turns trauma into resilience is deeply moving. Stories like this remind us how important support systems are, and how groups like the Doctors Team can play a role in helping survivors heal and find hope again.
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