I, like many before me, cannot answer this question, because I don't agree that there is only a yes or no answer. Poetry is, to me, only grey...black and white do not exist in poetry. My answer, however, in many words, follows:
First of all, poetry was originally intended to be read aloud, not read on paper. And if you're speaking aloud, ostensibly you have an audience to hear your words.
Also, poetry is intended to evoke a response of some sort from the listener (or reader these days). In order to get a response, someone has to hear or read it. Of course, the author could become the audience as well as writer and respond to it, but the traditional format is for an audience to listen to and respond in some manner.
The merit of the POEM can be found in the degree to which the audience responds to it. I don't know that there are good poets, only good poems.
This is why poetry is so subjective...people's responses vary so wildly that it is hard to say: EVERYONE agrees that this is a good poem because EVERYONE had the same reaction to it. The same problem exists with all art forms, to one extent or another.
I agree with those who stated previously, though, that poetry can be found in all aspects of life, and does not require words (spoken or written). Traditional poetry, however, is what I was defining above.
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"And it's already gone too far..."