Whereas Chasin ’ s speaker was temporally stunted , Willis ’ s poetic voice remains distanced but capable of imagining a hopeful future , believing we must be taught ‘ new words ’ because justice is outside our current means . Here , the poem ’ s characterisation of the witch is essential , as we can only reinvent her if we know what we are working from . Moreover , it is with what we have been given by the witch ’ s violent history that we can reclaim her , as her justice is born through smoke , the by-product of the fires that killed witches centuries ago . Just as Willis asks , ‘ Isn ’ t there something witchlike about a sleepwalker who wanders through the house with matches ’, we must ask , isn ’ t there something convincingly and powerfully witchlike about women who seek justice by turning their tools of execution on their executors ?