What is a poem?

As someone writing about poetry and writing poems, I should probably make a statement regarding what a poem is.

I have a broad definition of poetry: it is stimuli composed of language.

I don’t think it is just the words themselves, just the static physical manifestation; it happens in the reader’s brain.  But of course the stimuli need to be there in order for the brain to react (and, obviously, in making this statement, I am speaking with an assumption of there being a material word, or at least not solipsistic, anyway, as the implication is that there is an “other” relative to the mind).

Yes, stimuli composed of language.

Yes, that means anything read can be poetry.

Yes, that means read prose can fall under the category of poetry.

Yes, a list of ingredients read by someone can be poetry.

Something that the brain is doing in response to language.

Language can be heard or read, and it may be nonsense.

The brain says what is language.

Language is the brain seeing sense out of nonsense, or having the sense to sense nonsense.

The brain senses.

The organism lives because it has some level of sense to navigate its world.  But it still fails and dies.

Poetry is a sensual navigation.  Poetry is a sensual non-navigation.  Poetry is a non-sensual navigation.  Poetry is a non-sensual non-navigation.

While we may each have our preferences for certain stimuli over another, I think it is important to keep the definition of poetry broad to enable possibility.  Don’t you?