Only if it pays

https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/114257/mozaic-future-encounters-across-the-divide/chapter/2249222/chapter-9-only-if-its-profitable [Verse 1] We build the towers, not the homes We pave the roads, but not for all If it makes a buck, it moves ahead If not—it’s left to rust and fall They say the system’s just a tool But it decides who eats, who fades A heart may beat with something kind But the ledger calls the final plays [Chorus] Only if it pays—only then it’s right We sell the care, we lease the light And if you're broke, you're out of sight Only if it pays—only if it pays [Verse 2] We fight child labor with a smile While stocking shelves built on the same We raise the age, then shake our heads Surprised when pensions feel like shame Degrees collect a thin gray dust While AI types their dreams away A job’s not work—it’s worth is weighed By what some spreadsheet has to say [Chorus] Only if it pays—only then it's true We count the cost before we do Only if it pays—only then it's true We count the cost before we do And kindness waits behind the queue Only if it pays—only if it pays [Bridge] It’s not the people, it's the frame It’s not the hearts, it’s just the game And when the profit walks away The world forgets what humans gave