Broken Chain Poem by Ron Tranmer
“The Broken Chain” is a beautiful poem that voices out the feelings of agony and sorrow when you lose someone close to you.
Life is unpredictable and absurd; it unravels in the most unexpected ways while defining its true meaning. Although life is the greatest blessing, it holds the bitter truth that it is going to end one day. We can never evade death, as it is a part of life. However, when the time comes for us or our loved one's life to end, many of us turn to renowned poets and their poems to express the grief we feel.
Here is one such poem of grief by Ron Tranmer that talks about the hardships of losing a loved one. He also mentions writing this poem at the passing of a family member. It comes directly from his heart.
The Broken Chain by Ron Tranmer
We little knew the day that
God was going to call your name.
In life we loved you dearly,
In death we do the same.
It broke our hearts to lose you
But you didn’t go alone.
For part of us went with you
The day God called you home.
You left us peaceful memories.
Your love is still our guide,
And though we cannot see you
You are always at our side.
Our family chain is broken
and nothing seems the same,
but as God calls us one by one
the chain will link again.
About the Poet: Ron Tranmer
Ron Tranmer is regarded as one of the most pre-eminent authors and is known for writing inspirational, moving & realistic poems. Born in Jerome Idaho in 1940, he is the oldest of seven siblings.
Tranmer wrote his first poem when he was 8 years old and since then he has always enjoyed writing poetry. His collection includes 400+ poems on diverse topics and 3 published poetry books. Some of his famous poems include “The Broken Chain”, “Heaven’s Rocking Chair” and “Miscarriage”. Apart from this, Ron also owns a website with his poems in 40+ categories.
Poem Analysis
“The Broken Chain” by Ron Tranmer is a poem that voices out the feelings of agony and sorrow when you lose someone dear.
Each person in a family has his or her own personality, character, and identity. But we are still linked to each other like a chain. The poet uses the broken chain as a metaphor to describe the souls of the family members that were linked together like a chain that is now broken.
Death is inevitable and all of us at some point in our lives will know what it is to mourn the loss of the deceased. Although it is never easy to contemplate the end of life, the poet tries to express these feelings with relatable yet simple words.
The poem begins with how the family members will keep loving the person even after his/her departure from life. Further, he expresses the companionship, love, and the happy memories of the deceased that have stayed back in these hard times. Lastly, as the poem progresses, the poet concludes with reuniting and linking the family chain in the afterlife as God will call all of them one by one.
Detailed Analysis
We little knew the day that
God was going to call your name.
In life we loved you dearly,
In death we do the same.
In this paragraph, the poet talks about the unpredictability of death. He specifically refers to the sudden loss of a loved one. Losing a loved one is one of the most difficult challenges of life and can affect everyone differently. Although it is certain that we are going to die one day, only God knows the time. No one can predict it.
It is such a sudden demise that can be traumatic and saddening. The poem begins with a similar experience. It talks about the family members being unaware of the untimely death and that God would call their loved one so early in life.
"When God says you're ready, it does not matter where you are in life." - Carlos Wallace
Further, the poet explains how in life people love one another and share a bond. However, after death, only the close ones will truly stick by. Here the family shares the same conversion with the deceased as they promise to love the person even after death. They promise to share the same love and bond as they did when the person was alive.
It broke our hearts to lose you
But you didn’t go alone.
For part of us went with you
The day God called you home
Losing someone is the natural part of life and so is grieving. But it is only when someone close to us leaves us that we understand its true meaning. It breaks our hearts as we feel intense emotions raging from profound sadness, and emptiness to despair. It hurts us so much that our whole life seems to fall apart, and their absence feels like a void and gap within. It is like a part of us has gone away with the deceased.
You left us peaceful memories.
Your love is still our guide,
And though we cannot see you
You are always at our side.
There are times when life and death may seem like two extremes, but it is only with time we realize that each extreme is more connected than we could ever imagine. Grief is not for the dead but for the people who continue to live as for them the flashbacks follow. In the third part, the poem goes back in time when the person was alive. It talks about the peaceful memories that continue to remain.
We often hear and read about our deceased loved ones watching over us and looking down at us. The poet also relates to this saying as he believes that although the departed is not around physically, they are present in a spiritual sense. He further voices that their presence is imprinted on the atmosphere, and they are always on our side.
Read our article on the poem, “As I sit in Heaven”
Our family chain is broken
and nothing seems the same,
but as God calls us one by one
the chain will link again.
When someone very special passes away, we are left feeling very lost and, often quite alone. Losing a loved one can feel like your world has been turned upside down. Everyone around you seems to be trying to "help," but it doesn't always feel like it.
It seems like a chain that was connected for so long and is now broken. We are all familiar with the image of a chain that is made up of individual links. When one of the links is broken, it affects the rest of the chain. It is as if life has been broken and changed in many ways. The poet uses the concept of the broken chain as a symbol to address the end of life.
Lastly, the poet is hopeful that all the members of the family will reunite in the afterlife when God calls each one of them one by one, and the chain will be complete again.