Reaver: A Poem

A poem Sophie finds in a diary kept by her grandfather Sparrow. He had apparently left the journal in Samarkand during his last journey there.
A wicked flower slowly withers
An eternity to wash away the soul
That once bloomed in a paradise
That quickly faded into shadow
And though the petals
 
Are beautiful
With their hedonistic array of colour
There are too many thorns
Guarding the fragile heart within
No one can touch it
All who try
 
Have died away
Alone in shadow
A wicked flower withers