What's Poetry and What's Prose?

As old poetry is well defined, I don't think we can debate it anymore. I liked this question and here are my dozen law abiding attempts to answer the question.

1. "Cause and effect" law: If you need a laxative, it's prose. If you need a purgative, it's poetry. (I said that only to catch your attention. I may need to practice catching stones too shortly lest I be stoned to death! Please read on… that's the only objective) :-)
   
2. "Inky Pinky Ponky" law: It's the compositor's choice because he/she has the power to place it into the prose or poetry section in the magazine. (Of course, the composer might be fired later. Who knows? May be nobody will catch the error too)
   
3. "Holier than thou" law: If prose sounds better, that's poetry. If poetry doesn't sound all that good, it's prose. (Didn't get it? Neither did I! But what stops me from saying it? I
   put this here to fill the gap just like that)
   
4. "Sweat is the key" law: The degree of poeticism (if there is such a word) in a sentence is directly proportional to the product of the effort that goes into writing it and the effort that goes into understanding it. Mathematically, the degree of poeticism in a sentence = k (effort of writing) x (effort of understanding) where k is a constant. Therefore, a sentence can look like perfect prose to some while it can look like perfect poetry to others depending on the variables. (Oops. Did I waste some sweat on this para of prose?)
   
5. Universal law of poetry: Modern poetry makes poets/poetesses of us all. (I am a poet too, but hey, who can't be now?)
   
6. "Fill in the blank" law: Give it a name and enough people will believe it is! (True, eh?)
   
7. Equality law: All prose is an equal and opposite poem. (This one's for Newton who poked his nose before me in everything else I love)
   
8. Author Tools law: A poet needs a pen, a paper and somebody to listen to the words. An author of prose doesn't need the pen and the paper. (Now, now, now. The stones are on the catapults and are they aimed at me?)
   
9. Publisher's law: Poetry is wonderful, great, and divine until you send it to publishers. (Send your poetic masterpieces to a few publishers before you send me to the gallows, okay?)
   
10. Author–Reader Proportionality law: The number of authors willing to write are directly proportional to those not willing to read them. (Alas, Murphy forgot to say this, I think….)
    
11. Editor's dilemma: If this is prose, show me your poetry. If this is poetry, show me your prose. (This is the author's last chance to avoid a future distortion of history)
    
12. Comprehension law: If not many understand it, but all pretend to do, it's poetry. If all understand it and not many pretend to do, it's prose. (Whew, if you got to here, please spare me. I only was hoping you will enjoy my prose, or is it poetry???)
    

Satyanarayana (now, how do I apply for copyright?) Pamarty