Crushed

On the day of the contest, she rushed,
With her hair looking hardly half-brushed.
Yet she took to the stage
Glancing down at the page
And read confidently, feeling flushed.

Back at home, all her family just gushed
When she read them her poems; now the hushed
Crowd of spectators stared
As the winners were aired.
Unprepared for defeat, she felt crushed.