When the World Paused: Musings from the Margins of the Mind and Heart is a tribute from a daughter to her mother-anchored in love, deep listening, and surrender. During the stillness of lockdown, Mona Sharma began sending her mother poems via WhatsApp-fragments of feeling, presence, and reflection. Unbeknownst to her, Ma was quietly transcribing them into a diary, which she left behind when she passed. The book that followed is shaped by that gesture of quiet surrender-hers and the author's. These poems, drawn from memory and emotion, offer a gentle presence to those who have loved, lost, and still listen inward.