This New York lawyer gets laughs in 17 syllables via her poetry
Updated: Poetry is a great way to infuse a little humor in what can be a “tedious” lifestyle, says New York attorney Stevi Siber-Sanderowitz. She is fascinated by the haiku, a streamlined poem that originated in Japan.
Typically, a haiku has three lines. The first line contains five syllables, with the second at seven and the third at five. The haiku traditionally focuses on the changing seasons and the natural world.
But instead of poems about nature, Siber-Sanderowitz has written a self-published book, Briefly: Haikus for the Jaded Lawyer, filled with haikus poking fun at law school exams, courtroom antics, billable hours and other aspects of life in the legal industry. (Some of her haikus are below.)
Outlining at two.
This can’t be what Elle Woods meant.
I’ve been misled bad.
Siber-Sanderowitz hopes that lawyers who read her poems in Briefly: Haikus for the Jaded Lawyer will “relate to the poems and think, ‘Oh, that’s so true,’ and get some comedic relief.”
Torts made me anxious.
Contracts made me question God.
Still, I paid for both.
Siber-Sanderowitz graduated from the New York Law School in 2011 started practicing insurance law, first in private law firms. The New York lawyer now works as in-house counsel at an insurance brokerage firm.
They said, “track your time.”
So I billed them for crying.
That’s admin, I guess.
She rediscovered haikus when her 8-year-old son started reading them. Siber-Sanderowitz was inspired by how concise they could be and yet still pack a punch.
Your honor, I ask
With all due respect, what the
Hell is this pleading?
Her son pops up in her poetry, too.
“He keeps me humble,” Siber-Sanderowitz says.
“Career Day” is here.
He said, “She writes boring stuff.”
Honestly? Not wrong.
About a year ago, Siber-Sanderowitz started keeping notes in her phone about “the funny things that come up” in practicing law as inspiration for her poetry. She previously created a compilation of insurance jokes, Premium Punchlines: A Collection of Hilarious Insurance Humor, which is also self-published.
“Insurance law can get so dry,” she says. “My whole career, I have tried to soften things with laughter.”
Daydreamed at my desk.
Imagined office on fire.
Felt oddly relaxed.
As for daydreaming about the office being on fire, Siber-Sanderowitz quips, “honestly, it was my healthiest moment all week.”
Updated May 29 at 3:34 p.m. to report that Stevi Siber-Sanderowitz graduated from the New York Law School.
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