Irae the Varmint Poet

We eat then we're eaten.
i have lives 'tween my teeth.
When i tear into pieces,
i shall be a feast.
— excerpt from Sharp Teeth by Irae

Once described fondly by Summer Queen Titia as a despicable chimaeric abomination merely masquerading at humanity, Irae is a controversial bard and poet. The themes of her work are repulsive, with a love of the rotten and forgotten. Her voice, however, is a gentle and sweet soprano with a slight lisp. This love of the disgusting is often attributed to Irae's inate nature as a harpy. She is known by the moniker the Varmint Poet or the Poet-Pest.

Early Life

So, Varmint Poet. How do you feel about that? Varmint is like vermin is like rats. Irae likes rats. Rats are ok to hunt always cause they too clever to be useful for humans. Is open season on Irae too, people say, oh, Irae monster, Irae eat babies, Irae make society crumble like old cake. Irae is clever too. People try make prey of Irae, only try, never succeed.
— Interview with Irae

Irae grew up in the Boiling Mountains with a full flock of nomadic scavenging harpies. They had little to no contact with other folk and humanoids, only rarely trading with outside communities.

Captivity

In 267 IE a group of adventurers came across the flock. It quickly escalated into an altercation. Irae was the sole survivor from her flock. The adventurers were amused by her insults and captured her instead. She was brought in chains to Sinamecene. During the travel she was forced to share poems and sing for the adventurers. She improvised a spite, a harpy ritual poem intended to insult and degrade the subject. When they arrived in Sinamecene, the sight of the chained harpy caused outrage. The adventurers actions were in direct violation of the Woodland Pact, the treaties between the Folk and the Citizens of the Castellan Kingdoms. The Court of Folk was summoned and the adventurers were forced to free her, as well as pay reparations for her imprisonment and the death of her pack.

Cold steel weapons
and cold steel chains.
You pretend,
i know your blood
is as hot as any.
i will molt
these cold iron bindings
like feathers.
i tasted warm wet copper
on the claw of my wing.
i'll taste it again,
with my warm whetted weapons
and my warm bone teeth.
i will carve you honest.
— Spite of the Adventurers

Some say your work is unstructured and full of errors, what do you say to that? Is easy to say, oh, Irae is bad. Irae is too dumb for grammar. Is harder to ask, oh, why Irae write like this and then see have much meaning. Also think, if writing truth, is truth always easy? No, is not always easy. Is more like pulling arrow out of body and only pulling stick, and then must dig for sharp rock, and get hand cut on it too. Truth is claws in own flesh. Bloody, bloody claws.
— Interview with Irae

Right. So the lingustic... flourishes are all intentional? You say like question when is answer. Excuse me? Humanses... Yes. Is all on purpose. Ask and i will teach. Irae can be a little patient. Only a little.
— Interview with Irae

Why don't you capitalize your I's? Humans say, oh, if is important name, give it big letter. Why tree not important? Why wind not important? Why you decide? Irae is told oh, harpies not important. Is have small letter always. So i say okay, then i not important. You don't think you're important? Is your way of seeing, is not mine.
— Interview with Irae

You write 'tween instead of between and 'cause instead of because, why do you decide to abbreviate these? Buh is ugly human squeal, ugly, ugly. Is the noise of no, Irae can not eat that mouse even if is already dead, is even aged sweet with rot buuuh nooo. Buh buh is the noise of I am human I am too fancy for eating off floor. I am cee vee lies. Also has better rhythm. Twe- tee- makes heart swell, is like shiniest feather, buh- tee- is like human, is very ugly. But between starts with be not bu... Please don't go!
— Interview with Irae