- A story has a beginning middle and an end.
- It has a setting.
- It has characters/actors.
- It has a conflict.
- The conflict has a resolution
These are the elements that I consider add up to a story. The story can appear as a poem, or in a regular set of prose. As long as the story has the five elements than it works and can be called a short story. Here is a poem that works as a short story:
The Two April Mornings by William Wordsworth.