blue laws

there was a day when
the state of Maryland
had blue
laws.
no stores were open.
there was no way
to get a can of beer
or a gallon of milk.
even a pack of gum
was hard to come by,
which made you resort
to old gum stuck
to your headboard.
only the churches were
open. so you just had
to suck it up
and go pray.
get your wafer and wine
that way.
you had to do your shopping
on Saturday.
but now, there are
no blue laws, no real
holidays that close
everything.
there is no storm either
that will shut down
a 7 11, no nuclear
warhead that will
stop the chili dispenser
from working,
or keep those
hot dogs from spinning
greasy on the grey
grill.
we are godless
and living in Shangri la.