Peak (ing)

 Rakhi came back home from school with a wide smile 

She had ran the entire distance, which was about a mile

Such moments of happiness come far in between and are rare

She had promised to herself to better in this personal dare

She was a contender for this position since last few years

When she did not achieve it, she was sometimes in tears

Rakhi topped in school during her first Unit test of SSC

Desperate was she to handover her marksheet for parents to see

Jumping and smiling, she flashed her marksheet, with expectation

What happened next was beyond anybody's imagination

Her father actually exclaimed, why were you in such a hurry?

Realising his instant reaction, he apologized and said "I'm sorry"

His  father was her "in-house" critic as well as her best friend

She knew his reaction was an important lesson he wanted to send

He said "Peaking early" could be recipe for disaster in the making

It may put off the fire burning deep within and stop one improving

A simple but effective theory in the process of learning

Peaking at right time is the perfect recipe for winning

A runner who peaks before time looses on race day

Overconfidence, higher expectations keeps him at bay

This simple example brought Rakhi back to her sense

Others would be aware and alert as she has jumped the fence

Grinding more now and winning in the finals made more sense

This would ensure less burden of expectation and better performance