The poems of Shallow-Rooted Heart explore the implications of the collection's title. Poet Gregory Louis Candela ponders the heart's attachments to landscapes, to the human beings who inhabit them, to memories of place, especially the expanses of the Southwest, but widening to encompass the author's travels. The poet moves seamlessly from a Zuni tribal ceremony to three Italian Renaissance versions of the Pietà, from personal reflections on the Yucatán's Chixulub crater to a poem spoken by a New Mexico goathead. Three sections follow Candela's journey: from "The Wayfarer / El Caminante" to "The Lonely Way / El Camino Solo" to "The Beauty Way / El Camino Hermoso," the poet explores the complications, loneliness, and tribulations of the human heart.