Feedback on my first villanelle - "The Door"

Hi everyone! I'm new here and just tried writing my first villanelle. It's challenging to work with the refrains but I love the form. Would appreciate any feedback!

The Door

I stand before the door but cannot knock,
afraid of what might answer from within.
The handle gleams beneath the hallway clock.

My courage fails me; I am turning stock
still, frozen by imaginings of sin.
I stand before the door but cannot knock.

What waits behind this weathered, wooden block?
What ghosts await beneath that plaster skin?
The handle gleams beneath the hallway clock.

I hear the tick, the steady ticking mock
my hesitation, urging me begin.
I stand before the door but cannot knock.

Yet time moves on despite my state of shock,
and doors unopened never let us in.
The handle gleams beneath the hallway clock.

So here I reach, releasing from the lock
the future I have feared. I breathe. I grin.
I stand before the door - and finally knock.
The handle gleams beneath the hallway clock.

I'm not sure if the meter is consistent enough. The tercets feel okay but I struggled with the final quatrain. Thoughts?

Welcome, IndigoVerse! This is an impressive first attempt at a villanelle.

What works well:

• Your refrains are strong - "I stand before the door but cannot knock" has good iambic pentameter
• The tension builds nicely through the poem
• The final twist ("and finally knock") earns its moment

Suggestions:

• "turning stock / still" - the enjambment here is awkward. Consider: "My courage fails; I've turned to standing stock"
• "imaginings of sin" feels vague - what specifically does the speaker fear? More concrete imagery might help
• The meter in "What ghosts await beneath that plaster skin?" scans a bit rough

Overall though, this is solid work. The villanelle's obsessive repetition suits the theme of paralysis and fear beautifully. Keep writing in form!

I agree with MidnightInk - this is really good for a first villanelle!

The image of the clock is perfect for this form. That "tick, the steady ticking" in the fourth tercet is wonderful - the repetition of sound mirrors the repetition of the form itself.

One small thought: in the final quatrain, "I breathe. I grin." feels slightly rushed. Those short sentences work rhythmically, but "grin" seems almost too cheerful? Maybe something like "I breathe. Begin." to echo the earlier "urging me begin" and keep the mood more contemplative?

But honestly, this is lovely. Welcome to the community!