Canterbury thought
The bargain fair enough:
The offer of his flock
—Ungovernable
(If you ask)
By any rod or staff?
That might be true enough:
But the Pope ought
To find it bearable,
Since in the swap
He would agree to drop
Gladly enough
The Keys of Heaven and Hell,
His worn-out tale
Of Peter and the Rock,
And that unwieldy task
Of herding sheep.
The talks could only fail
Sadly enough,
With charity and courtesy enough
To make the angels weep—
Or a cat laugh.