Growing Up

When did 
my greedy paws 
start feeding my brother and sister? 

When did 
my elders fables 
revamp from boring to brilliant? 

When did 
I stop wailing to the world 
and start muting my tears in the bathroom?

When did 
clowning with boys 
turn into warnings about their evil ways? 

And when did I realize that time on the bus when the boy bullied my braids ran deeper and darker like the glow of my skin? 

When did I start growing up?