Con Artist

A bag of gold and a bag of rice
Both were sold at the same marked price
The merchant told me with the waves of his hands
That gold was of high value in distant lands
I could buy it here from him and now
Then travel afar somehow
And try to sell what I was sold
To learn from him the truth be told
But rice was what I needed and valued
Not some believes that greed has fueled
So I bought the rice with what I had
And dismissed that gold was just in fad
He scolded me for being a fool
Saying “what have you learned in school?”
And offered me a lower price for his gold
In hope that his words could be sold
But I was no fool, I said to him
I recognized friends and foes per diem
With that I went on my way
This argument I saved for another day