writhe : Verb  Make continual twisting, squirming movements or contortions of the body.
Noun : A twisting, squirming movement.

sprawled :

1. Sit, lie, or fall with one's arms and legs spread out in an ungainly or awkward way: "she lay sprawled on the bed".

 So, shallow describes something that is close to the surface — like the shallow roots

forlorn: When someone is forlorn it means that they not only feel miserable but simultaneously desolate because they also believe they are alone. 
shallow : Shallow likely comes from the Old English word sceald, which means "shoal," the water near a shoreline. So, shallow describes something that is close to the surface — like the shallow roots of a newly-planted tree or a person whose interest in someone or something isn't very deep.