Is poetic fantasy the same thing as "artistic license"? There is usually a grain of truth/honesty in even the most fantasy derived poems I think. Usually there is something between the lines you can bring back to reality.

Now for the medium length answer: They are both as important as each other.

And the short answer: No.

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Who was that, climbing off the fence?

As someone who does explore fantasy both in poetry and prose I think there is some snobbery about the genre. Remember it took Lord of the Rings Trilogy films to finally achieve an Oscar because the powers that be were reluctant to honour fantasy.
Perhaps it is a way of pushing boundaries and exploring wider possibilities of imagination and this would include poetry.

Who was that, climbing off the fence?

Clearly no-one.

Was it an honest fence or a fantastic one?

Honest and fantasy don't seem to be opposites to me.

Some people like to use quite elaborate language and images and for them, that is not dishonest, it's the way they see the world.

Others use a simple, plain language. But that's not any less artificial than elaborate imagery.

And what's wrong with poetry as a kind of play? Does it always have to be dragged from us?