Ballad Self-reflection

After writing a ballad for English class, I felt that I have learned a lot. Here are some things I learned that I can improve for next time. My editors had been fairly nice and didn't write down any harsh negative comments, but I think that I should improve on my usage of poetic elements. I focused only on the story throughout the entire poem, spending little for rhyme or rhythm. I simply didn't pay attention to any of that, thinking that that stuff is not important. Yet in real life, it is. My poem could probably be a lot better if I were to insert in more poetic elements and a steady rhyme scheme. I was surprised to find symbolism in my own poem. My editor Jenny wrote on her comments that she appreciated the symbolism I inserted of a kite symbolizing freedom. After reading my own poem again after some time, I realized that she may be right. I think the symbolism made the poem a lot more powerful than it could have been which is a good thing. I also though the plot for my poem this time wasn't good enough and that I should have put in my effort into the actual planning of the story. Jenny thought that parts of it  was unclear and after some self-reflection, I realized that she was right. I should probably work on that next time.