Shaunt Basmajian

Shaunt Basmajian Poems

Shaunt Basmajian Biography

Shaunt Basmajian was a Canadian poet and author. Born in Beirut, Lebanon to Armenian parents, Basmajian emigrated to Canada when he was seven years old. He was a founder of the Canadian Poetry Association, co-founder of Old Nun Publications (with Ted Plantos), and was a member of the Parliament Street Library poetry group. The Shaunt Basmajian Chapbook Award, given annually to a Canadian poet, was established in his memory. The contest ran from 1996–2008. In 1986, he was attacked with a knife and robbed while he was driving a taxi. His right lung was punctured when a robber stabbed him.)

The Best Poem Of Shaunt Basmajian

On Filling Out Another Job Application

only my address has changed
my phone number
still seems to stay the same
and the list of
appointments references and positions
goes on forever

i walk
up and down
the city street
and wait
my turn in line
in a corporate office building
for a job
i know i won't get

i fill out a questionnaire
and then head over
to a union hall
where i'm forced to do
the same
greeted by a computer
and a digit as my name
amongst 300 other applicants
for a job
that will eventually terminate

after the interview
i take a break
and drink a cup of
cold coffee
in a shopping mall
recently subsidized
by the government
before i head back home
where i share a meaningless
conversation
with a friend
about politics
the prime minister's
recent trip abroad
and of course
the so called
'sagging' economy
while waiting fiendishly
for a call
i know i won't get

Shaunt Basmajian Comments