Are Earthquakes Metaphors?

Time was,
We looked for signs,
But now we have More confidence,
We are the masters of our fate,
(We're sure of that)
And so,
The signs and summonses
Of the gods,
They are no more,
Our conduct is our business,
But,
Pride still cometh,
Before the fall,
The rumble of the earthquake
Passing through our midst,
May have been the sound
Of that great plumb line,
Rumbling down from up above.
As God once told the prophet Amos,
“I will set a plumb line in the midst...”
And so the time
May just have come,
When cruelty and repression,
Are due to be replaced,
By new masters,
Who will build the world anew,
Not necessarily from scratch,
But with sensibility,
A touch of brotherhood,
And sisterhood,
And common sense,
(If we can find some),
And a heavy dose of love,
It's not too late to start,
But why wait 'til the time
Of the next quake?