Poetry is a form of mathematics,
a highly rigorous relationship with words.
And this quote from American poet Carl Sandburg (1872-1962):
Poetry is a mystic, sensuous mathematics of fire, smoke-stacks,
waffles, pansies, people, and purple sunsets.
For more about Jelloun, here is a Wikipedia link.
This link leads to my 2012 posting of Sandburg's poem, "Number Man."