Introduction

 a new form of poetry has recently been discovered. it is called mattku, a name derived from "haiku" and the name of its discoverer.

mattku emphasizes the difference between the positive and negative, clarifying sources of uncertainty in our lives.

standard mattku consists of two verses. each verse contains an action or state of being, a condition that clarifies the action, a relationship, and a result. the first relationship is positive, the second negative. either the action or the condition may change between verses, but not both. the idea is to reduce each situation to its simplest form.

Examples

walking on rocks
covered in snow
feels a lot like
walking on snow

falling on rocks
covered in snow
doesn't feel like
falling on snow

sitting around
when you're on break
feels a lot like
being on break

looking for jobs
when you're on break
doesn't feel like
being on break

looking at code
written by hand
feels a lot like
looking at code

looking at code
made with Frontpage
doesn't feel like
looking at code

Basic Mattku

 this exercise will help you begin to master the art of mattku. fill in the boxes using the examples for reference. if your browser is javascript-enabled, click the button to auto-format your mattku.

[+] action

a state of being

[+] condition

a unique condition that clarifies the action
feels a lot like

[+] relationship

[+] result

[-] action

(must be the same as [+] action if the conditions differ)

[-] condition

(must be the same as [+] condition if the actions differ)
doesn't feel like

[-] relationship

[-] result

often the same as [+] result, but may differ to fit logically with the [-] action and condition

simplicity and clarity are the poetry of mattku. the beauty is that apprehension of the fundamental difference between the positive and negative is always a positive experience.