Difference between poetry and prose?

[Todd]

The writing I posted in the Miscellaneous Poetry section called Precarious Love is one that I might have called poetic prose: http://pigpenpoetry.com/Thread-Precarious-Love It is more poetic than many poems I read on here, but I actually still feel it to be prose...and yet I don't think it's prose, because it's not really a story, but an expression of an experience I had. What is it, actually?

I reread this. I would subjectively view this as a prose poem where you could pare it down some to make it pop more. Prose to me feels a little too connected to every step of the narrative. Prose poetry seems to condense a little more. The snowflakes and the streetlamp part for instance screams prose poem to me.

But yes you're right, it can get confused because good writing should use figurative language at some point.